Sergeant Maurice Albert Wyndham Rogers, VC, MM (17 July 1919 – 3 June 1944) was a

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 ...

soldier of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

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 ...

, the highest 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.

Details

Rogers was 24 years old, and a

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 the 2nd Battalion,

Wiltshire Regiment (Duke of Edinburgh's) The Wiltshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 62nd (Wiltshire) Regiment of Foot and the 99th Duke of Edinburgh's (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot. The ...

, during the

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

when the following deed took place, at Ardea, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. The citation in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

'' of 8 August 1944, gives the following details:

Legacy

In 2003 Rogers had a road named after him. A new industrial estate had been built at Hopton,

Devizes Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...

, Wiltshire (near to the old Le Marchant Barracks) and the road has been called "Sgt Rogers Way". The road sign gives his full name and location and year of the VC award. In 1947 a new housing estate, comprising two large low rise blocks of flats, in Bethnal Green east London was named 'Rogers Estate' after him. One of the blocks has a bronze plaque attached to the exterior at ground floor level commemorating this. Rogers parents were in attendance at the opening ceremony. His story was published as the cover story for

D.C. Thomson DC Thomson is a media company based in Dundee, Scotland. Founded by David Couper Thomson in 1905, it is best known for publishing ''The Dundee Courier'', ''The Evening Telegraph'' and ''The Sunday Post'' newspapers, and the comics ''Oor Wull ...

's '' Victor comic'' in issue 204 dated 16 January 1965. His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Rifles (Berkshire and Wiltshire) Museum in

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

, Wiltshire.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rogers, Maurice Albert Wyndham 1919 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Bristol Wiltshire Regiment soldiers Recipients of the Military Medal British Army personnel killed in World War II British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross