George Sanders VC MC (8 July 1894 – 4 April 1950) was an

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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

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and

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forces.

Early life

George Sanders was the son of Thomas and Amy Sanders. He received his education at Little Holbeck School and after completing his time there was indentured as an apprentice fitter at the nearby Airedale Foundry.

Military service

George enlisted for service on 9 November 1914 and was drafted as a private and later promoted to

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non ...

to the 1/7th (Leeds Rifles) Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own),

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 ...

during 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 ...

. The Battalion went to France in April 1915 and in 1916 were to take part in the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

VC action

On 1 July 1916 near

Thiepval Thiepval (; pcd, Tièbvo) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Thiepval is located north of Albert at the crossroads of the D73 and D151 and approximately northeast of Amiens. Population First World ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Sanders' battalion were in reserve but late the afternoon the battalion was ordered to advance into the Schwaben Redoubt which had been captured earlier in the day and was being counter-attacked. After an advance into the enemy's trenches, 21-year old Corporal Sanders found himself isolated with a party of 30 men. For 36 hours Sanders' small force held off German attacks before being relieved and leading the 19 survivors back to the British lines. Sanders' actions were recognised with the award of the Victoria Cross which was published in the London Gazette on 9 September 1916. The citation read: After receiving his Victoria Cross on 18 November 1916 at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, from the King, he returned to the front.

Later service

In July 1917 Sanders was commissioned as a temporary

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. By December 1917 Sanders was a

company commander A company commander is the commanding officer of a company, a military unit which typically consists of 100 to 250 soldiers, often organized into three or four smaller units called platoons. The exact organization of a company varies by country, ...

and was made an acting

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. In April 1918 the

German Army The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...

launched the Spring Offensive. Sanders was now attached to the 1/6th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment who were positioned at

Mount Kemmel Kemmelberg (, ) is a hill formation in Flanders, Belgium. It is located less than a kilometer from the village of Kemmel, part of the municipality of Heuvelland in West Flanders. History The earliest settlements on the Kemmelberg date back 2.500 y ...

. Heavy fighting ensued and acting Captain Sanders was awarded the Military Cross, the award of which was posted in the London Gazette on 13 September 1918. The citation stated: He was taken

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

(POW) on 25 April and listed as wounded and missing with injuries to both his right arm and leg, last seen carrying his revolver in his left hand. Sanders was interned at the

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

POW camp. In July he managed to get a letter to his father telling of his capture and captivity. On 26 December Captain Sanders was sent back to England, and he was discharged in March 1919.

Later life

After the war in June 1920 he attended a victory party and a Victory Cross reunion dinner on the tenth anniversary of the end of the war in November 1929, both at Buckingham Palace. Sanders unveiled the

Leeds Rifles War Memorial The Leeds Rifles War Memorial is a First World War memorial outside Leeds Minster on Kirkgate in Leeds, West Yorkshire in northern England. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, one of 15 instances of his War Cross and the only one com ...

Leeds Minster Leeds Minster, or the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds (formerly Leeds Parish Church) is the minster (church), minster church of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It stands on the site of the oldest church in the city and is of ar ...

Remembrance Sunday Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom as a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts. It is held on the second Sunday in Nov ...

1921. George Sanders VC MC died in Leeds on 4 April 1950 aged 55. His funeral was held at the Cottingley Crematorium in the city.

Medals

His medal group, including his VC and MC, were sold at auction in 2017 for £240,000. It is reported that they were bought by

Lord Ashcroft Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, (born 4 March 1946) is a British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and is ...

and will be placed on display at the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, George West Yorkshire Regiment soldiers British Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War I West Yorkshire Regiment officers People from Wortley, Leeds 1894 births 1950 deaths British World War I prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Leeds