James Ashworth
Lance Corporal, 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards
- Award
- Victoria Cross (posthumous)
- Rank
- Lance Corporal all Lance-Corporals →
- Unit
- 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards all Grenadier Guards VCs →
- Date of action
- 13 June 2012, Nahr-e Saraj district, Helmand Province, Afghanistan on this day → all of 2012 →
- Conflict / campaign
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) (Helmand)
- London Gazette
- 22 March 2013 on this day → all of 2013 →
- Born
- 26 May 1989 at Kettering, Northamptonshire, England
- Died
- 13 June 2012 at Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand, Afghanistan (killed in action, aged 23)
- Award
- Posthumous all posthumous VCs →
- Memorial / grave
- Shire Lodge Cemetery, Corby, Northamptonshire. 'Ashworth Square' in Corby is named after him.
- Medal held by
- Lord Ashcroft Collection (purchased privately 2018; previously held by Grenadier Guards RHQ, Wellington Barracks). The Ashcroft collection is moving to the National Army Museum, Chelsea.
- Investiture
- Presented posthumously to his family
Summary of the action
On 13 June 2012 Ashworth was leading a fire team in a helicopter assault to neutralise a Taliban sniper team in Helmand. His team came under sustained fire as they cleared a compound, and he pushed forward to lead the attack. When a lone insurgent held out in a shallow trench, Ashworth crawled towards him under intense close-range fire in order to get near enough to throw a grenade, and was killed as he prepared to do so. His determination allowed the platoon to take the compound.
A summary in our own words; the official citation can be read in The London Gazette (link below).
Awarded after Alf's death. This entry was compiled by his family in 2026 from public sources so that the register remains complete. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, victoriacrossonline.co.uk
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: Shire Lodge Cemetery, Corby, Northamptonshire. 'Ashworth Square' in Corby is named after him.
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
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