Gabriel Georges Coury VC (13 June 1896 – 2 February 1956), was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Commonwealth forces.
Early years
Born on 13 June 1896 in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancash ...
, to
Lebanese parents, Coury was educated at
Stonyhurst College from 1907 to 1913. He worked as an apprentice in a
cotton brokerage when World War I broke out. Coury volunteered to join
Kitchener's New Army in 1914.
Victoria Cross
While Coury was a
second lieutenant in the 3rd Battalion,
The South Lancashire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Volunteers) (attached to the 1/4th Battalion, South Lancashire Regiment, the pioneer battalion of the
55th (West Lancashire) Division
The 55th (West Lancashire) Division was an infantry division of the British Army's Territorial Force (TF) that saw extensive combat during the First World War. It was raised initially in 1908 as the West Lancashire Division. Following the out ...
), he performed deeds on 8 August 1916, near Arrow Head Copse, France, for which he was awarded the VC. His actions also earned him a promotion to full lieutenant.
Citation
Royal Flying Corps
On 15 November 1916, Coury was seconded to the
Royal Flying Corps as a flying officer (observer). He was appointed a flying officer on 20 September 1917, although his seniority was dated from 28 August 1917.
On 1 April 1918, Coury was transferred to the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
on its establishment, and he subsequently transferred to the RAF Administrative Branch on 20 September 1918. On 30 September 1918, Coury was promoted to temporary captain in the Medical section of the Administrative Branch. He mustered out as a
captain when the war ended.
Post war
After the war, Coury returned to his old firm as a cotton broker. When the Second World War broke out, he joined the
Royal Army Service Corps and participated in the
Normandy Landings
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
.
Legacy
Coury is honoured in a memorial at his former school,
St Francis Xavier's College, Liverpool. His VC is on display at the
Queen's Lancashire Regiment Museum at
Fulwood Barracks
Fulwood Barracks is a military installation at Fulwood in Preston, Lancashire, England.
History
The barracks were built between 1842 and 1848 as a base, initially at least, for the 2nd Battalion 60th Rifles following the chartist riots. In 18 ...
in
Preston, Lancashire
Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston local government district. Preston and its surrounding distri ...
.
References
*
Monuments to Courage
David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...
(David Harvey, 1999)
*
The Register of the Victoria Cross
''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...
(This England, 1997)
*
VCs of the First World War - The Somme
''VCs of the First World War'' is a series of books that list the Victoria Cross recipients of the First World War. The series consists of 13 books written by four different authors, first published under the label Sutton Publishing Limited, part ...
(Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
*''Liverpool VCs'' (James Murphy, Pen and Sword Books, 2008)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coury, Gabriel George
1896 births
1956 deaths
People educated at Stonyhurst College
South Lancashire Regiment officers
Royal Flying Corps officers
British Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross
Royal Air Force officers
British Army personnel of World War I
Royal Air Force personnel of World War I
Royal Army Service Corps officers
British Army personnel of World War II
English people of Lebanese descent
Victoria Cross awardees from Liverpool
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
Burials in Merseyside