George Henry Wyatt (usually known as George Harry Wyatt) VC (5 September 1886 – 22 January 1964) 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 and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Early life

George Henry Wyatt was born on 5 September 1886 at Worcester, and enlisted into the Coldstream Guards,

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

on 23 November 1904 at

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. He served with the 2nd Battalion of his regiment at home, and then with the 3rd Battalion, at that time serving in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

. Transferred to the Reserves on 9 January 1909, he joined the Barnsley Borough Police. Wyatt was recalled to the Army at the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

on 5 August 1914.

First World War

Wyatt was 27 years old, a

Lance-Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equiv ...

in the 3rd Battalion, the Coldstream Guards. Stationed around Landrecies, on the night of the 25/26 August the following action took place for which he was awarded his VC: He was promoted to

Lance-Sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is an appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal so they c ...

on 28 February 1917 and was demobilised on 14 January 1919.

Later life

He returned to the police force and served in the Doncaster Police force until his retirement in 1934. He is buried at

St John the Evangelist's Church, Cadeby St John the Evangelist's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Cadeby, South Yorkshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building, and is under the care o ...

, near

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

Awards

*Victoria Cross *1914 Star and Bar *British War Medal *Victory Medal *1937 Coronation Medal *1953 Coronation *

Order of St George The Order of Saint George (russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. Originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) a ...

(3rd Class), Russia

References

Bibliography

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(South Yorkshire)''

''(biography)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, George Harry 1886 births 1964 deaths Military personnel from Worcester, England British police officers British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Coldstream Guards soldiers Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Third Degree British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of World War I Burials in Yorkshire