William John English
Lieutenant, 2nd Scottish Horse
- Register No.
- 384 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Lieutenant all Lieutenants →
- Unit
- 2nd Scottish Horse all Scottish Horse VCs →
- Date of action
- 3 July 1901 on this day → all of 1901 →
- Conflict / campaign
- Second Boer War
- London Gazette
- 4th October 1901 on this day → all of 1901 →
- Born
- 6th October 1882 at Cork, Ireland
- Died
- 4th July 1941 at sea. (near Egypt)
- Memorial / grave
- Maala Military Cemetery, Aden
Digest of citation
On 3rd July 1901 at the Vlakfontein, South Africa, Lieutenant English was holding a position under attack by the enemy. Two of his men were killed and two wounded, but the position was still held, largely owing to the lieutenant's personal pluck. When the ammunition ran short, he went over to the next party to get more, over 50 yards of open ground, under very heavy fire at a range of 20 to 30 yards
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
ENGLISH, William John. (reg No. 384).
Lieutenant 2nd Scottish Horse.
London Gazetted on 4th October 1901.
Born on 6th October 1882 at Cork, Ireland.
Died on 4th July 1941 at sea. (near Egypt).
Memorial at Maala Military Cemetery, Aden.
Digest of Citation reads: On 3rd July 1901 at the Vlakfontein, South Africa, Lieutenant English was holding a position under attack by the enemy. Two of his men were killed and two wounded, but the position was still held, largely owing to the lieutenant's personal pluck. When the ammunition ran short, he went over to the next party to get more, over 50 yards of open ground, under very heavy fire at a range of 20 to 30 yards.
Additional information:. In World War One he saw service with the Royal Army Service Corps and in World War Two with the Royal Ulster Rifles.
Additional information
In World War One he saw service with the Royal Army Service Corps and in World War Two with the Royal Ulster Rifles.
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: Maala Military Cemetery, Aden
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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