Samuel Harvey VC (17 September 1881 – 22 September 1960) 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.

Details

He was 34 years old and a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment,

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 ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 29 September 1915 in the "Big Willie" Trench near the Hohenzollern Redoubt,

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 ...

, during a heavy bombing (hand grenade) attack, more bombs were urgently required and private Harvey volunteered to fetch them. The communication trench was blocked with wounded and reinforcements and he went backwards and forwards across open ground under intense fire and succeeded in bringing up 30 boxes before he was wounded in the head. It was largely owing to his cool bravery in supplying the bombs that the enemy was eventually driven back. Harvey received the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(5th Class) and the

Cross of St. George The Cross of Saint George (russian: Георгиевский крест, Georgiyevskiy krest) is a state decoration of the Russian Federation. It was initially established by Imperial Russia where it was officially known as the Decoration of t ...

(Russia). He received little recognition in Britain after the war and towards the end of his life resided in the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

Citadel on Woodbridge Road in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

. He also slept rough outside the Town Hall or in

Wolves Wood Wolves Wood is a woodland near Hadleigh, Suffolk. It is one of 7 ancient woodland areas within Suffolk. An ancient woodland is defined as a site that has been continuously occupied by woodland from the year 1600 or before. Overview Wolves Wood i ...

, near

Hadleigh, Suffolk Hadleigh () is an ancient market town and civil parish in South Suffolk, East Anglia, situated, next to the River Brett, between the larger towns of Sudbury and Ipswich. It had a population of 8,253 at the 2011 census. The headquarters of Bab ...

.'Tree plantings honours Sam VC', The Angle, Ipswich Borough Council, March 2014. Page 9. Samuel Harvey was buried in

Old Ipswich Cemetery Old Ipswich Cemetery is a cemetery in Ipswich, Suffolk, which was opened in 1855. It is one of a group of cemeteries run by Ipswich Borough Council. History Following the passage of the Burial Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict c 87), Municipal Borough of ...

on 26 September 1960 in Grave – X-21-3 (Section, Division, Grave no). In March 2014 he was honoured by the planting of a tree near his grave and another tree at

Sprites Primary School Sprite commonly refers to: * Sprite (drink), a lemon-lime beverage produced by the Coca-Cola Company * Sprite (computer graphics), a smaller bitmap composited onto another by hardware or software * Sprite (folklore), a type of legendary creature in ...

in Ipswich.

References

Profile
*''

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 36 ...

'' (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 fol ...

'' (This England, 1997) *'' VCs of the First World War: The Western Front 1915'' (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Suffolk)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Samuel British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross York and Lancaster Regiment soldiers British Army personnel of World War I People from Basford, Nottinghamshire 1881 births 1961 deaths Knights of the Legion of Honour British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Nottingham Burials in Suffolk