Company Sergeant Major John Henry Williams, (29 September 1886 – 7 March 1953) was a
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
colliery worker, soldier, and a 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 ...
(VC) the highest 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
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. Williams is the most decorated Welsh
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not pursued a commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks. (Non-officers, which includes most or all enli ...
of all time.
Early life
Williams was born in
Nantyglo
Nantyglo () is a village in the ancient parish of Aberystruth and county of Monmouth situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Blaina and Brynmawr in the county borough of Blaenau Gwent.
Governance
An electoral ward in the same name ...
,
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...
, on 29 September 1886.
First World War
In November 1914, Williams gave up his employment as a
colliery
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
blacksmith
A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
and enlisted in the 10th Battalion,
South Wales Borderers
The South Wales Borderers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for 280 years.
It came into existence in England in 1689, as Sir Edward Dering's Regiment of Foot, and afterwards had a variety of names and headquarters. In ...
(part of the
38th (Welsh) Division). He was promoted to
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
in January 1915.
His citation for the Victoria Cross reads:
Company sergeant major Williams was medically discharged from the army on 17 October 1918 after being severely wounded by
shrapnel
Shrapnel may refer to:
Military
* Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use
* Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material
Popular culture
* ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics)
* ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...
in the right arm and leg.
In 1919, Williams was invested with his Victoria Cross,
Distinguished Conduct Medal
The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military decoration, ranki ...
,
Military Medal
The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
and
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
by
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
,
the first time that the King had decorated the same man four times in one day. At the time of the investiture Williams had not recovered from his severe wounds, and during the presentation the wound in his arm opened up with the result that medical attention had to be given before he could leave the palace.
Legacy
Williams' grave and memorial are at
Ebbw Vale
Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...
Cemetery. The original headstone was removed during cemetery clearance and a new headstone was erected on 21 October 1990.
In September 2018 the villagers of
Villers-Outréaux
Villers-Outréaux () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Heraldry
History
A German airbase was in the town in WW-I.
War Memorial
In September 2018 the villagers of Villers-Outréaux dedicated an especially commissioned ...
dedicated an especially commissioned memorial to commemorate him and express their thanks for saving their village from certain destruction.
Bridge of Honour
The 'Jack Williams Gateway Bridge' was unveiled on 21 January 2019, by his great, great granddaughter. It is 160ft. tall, and is part of the new
A465
The A465 is a trunk road that runs from Bromyard in Herefordshire, England to Llandarcy near Swansea in South Wales. The western half is known officially as the Neath to Abergavenny Trunk Road, but the section from Abergavenny to the Vale of N ...
('Heads of Valleys') road dualling project between
Brynmawr
Brynmawr (; , ,) is a market town, community and electoral ward in Blaenau Gwent, Wales. The town, sometimes cited as the highest town in Wales, is situated at above sea level at the head of the South Wales Valleys. It grew with the devel ...
and
Gilwern
Gilwern is a village within the Brecon Beacons National Park in Monmouthshire, Wales. Historically in Brecknockshire, it extends to either side of the River Clydach, Monmouthshire, River Clydach on the south side of the River Usk, Usk valley. It ...
, on the westerly-part of the
Clydach Gorge.
It weighs just over 738 tons.
Mr Williams' name was chosen for the bridge by 96% of those who participated in the public vote.
War Medal
Williams' Victoria Cross is displayed at the
Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh
The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, formerly the South Wales Borderers Museum is located at Brecon in Wales. The museum's collection is made up of artefacts collected from a variety of sources from around the world and which display the reg ...
,
Brecon
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
.
References
External links
C.S.M John Henry Williams V.C.''(a Welsh Victoria Cross – biography, extra details & photo)''
''(Monmouthshire)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John Henry
1886 births
1953 deaths
Burials in Wales
Military personnel from Monmouthshire
People from Blaina
South Wales Borderers soldiers
British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross
Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal
British Army personnel of World War I
Recipients of the Military Medal
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
Welsh recipients of the Victoria Cross