John Henry Carless (11 November 1896 – 17 November 1917) was a

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, ...

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 ...

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 ...

Early life

Carless was born in 1896 to John Thomas Carless, an iron foundry worker, and his wife Elizabeth, of 31 Tasker Street,

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

, Staffordshire (now in the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

).Carless, John Henry
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Carless had two sisters, Ada and Dora, who were each employed in the local leather trade. He was good at sport and played in the final of the English Schools Football Shield, at

Roker Park Roker Park was a football ground in Roker, Sunderland, England, which was the home of Sunderland A.F.C. from 1898 to 1997, before the club moved to the Stadium of Light. Its final capacity was around 22,500, with only a small part being seated ...

. After school, he too joined the leather trade, working for Messrs Price and Co., harness makers, as an errand boy. During

World War I 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 ...

, he applied repeatedly to join the army, but was turned down on four occasions, due to a "weak heart". His subsequent application to join the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

was accepted, and he enlisted on 1 September 1915. His service number was J43703.

VC

He died when he was 21 years old, and an Ordinary Seaman in the

during World War I. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallant actions on 17 November 1917 aboard ''HMS Caledon'' at the

Second Battle of Heligoland Bight The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight, also the Action in the Helgoland Bight and the , was an inconclusive naval engagement fought between British and German squadrons on 17 November 1917 during the First World War. Background British minela ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, which led to his death. In mid-November 1917 British ships battled German forces in the

(off Germany's north coast). During the action Seaman Carless took a fatal shrapnel wound to the stomach but kept loading his gun, and encouraged his colleagues to do likewise. Once relieved, he collapsed and died. He was buried at sea the following day. The commander of HMS Caledon, H.S. Harrison-Wallace, subsequently wrote Carless's parents: In June 1918, Carless's parents received his posthumous VC from 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 Qu ...

Citation

Memorials

The Walsall public raised money for the erection of a memorial in his home town. A bronze bust was created by Wolverhampton-based Robert Jackson Emerson (1878–1944) mounted on a large plinth of Portland stone, outside

Walsall Museum Walsall Museum was a small, local history museum located in the centre of Walsall in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands. The holdings of Walsall Museum ranged from seventeenth-century firemarks to twenty-first century posters. There was al ...

(at ), Lichfield Street. On 20 February 1920 it was unveiled by Admiral Sir

Walter Cowan Admiral Sir Walter Henry Cowan, 1st Baronet, (11 June 1871 – 14 February 1956), known as Tich Cowan, was a Royal Navy officer who saw service in both the First and Second World Wars; in the latter he was one of the oldest British servicemen ...

, whose flagship had been ''HMS Caledon'', and the ship's white ensign was presented to Walsall's mayor at the time. Carless is listed on Panel 25 of the

Portsmouth Naval Memorial The Portsmouth Naval Memorial, sometimes known as Southsea Naval Memorial, is a war memorial in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, on Southsea Common beside Clarence Esplanade, between Clarence Pier and Southsea Castle. The memorial commemorates ...

. Three thoroughfares in Walsall commemorate John Carless' bravery – Carless Street, in

Caldmore Caldmore ( ) is a suburb of Walsall in the West Midlands, England. It is a historic village formerly in Staffordshire. History The settlement of Caldmore grew up around an important road junction, the shape of which defined an open space of r ...

, not far from where he was born, along with Caledon Street and Caledon Place in Pleck. A blue plaque on Carless Street notes the origins of the street's name. In December 2009, a memorial plaque to Carless and two other recipients of the Victoria Cross, James Thompson and Charles George Bonner, was unveiled at Walsall Town Hall. In 2014, a memorial paving stone was placed in the grounds of St Mary's the Mount Catholic Primary School in Walsall, where Carless was educated.

Museum exhibits

The former

had a display on Carless, including a replica of his VC (the original, bequeathed to the people of Walsall in 1986, is held in store, for security reasons), the ship's name-band from his uniform cap, and an oil portrait, commissioned by the Walsall Services Memorial Club. After that museum's closure, the display was moved to

Walsall Leather Museum Walsall Leather Museum is located in Walsall, in the West Midlands in England, and was opened in 1988, in a Victorian factory building renovated by Walsall Council. It tells the story of the leather trade in Walsall, charting the town's rise fr ...

References

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 3 ...

(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 fo ...

(This England, 1997) *

VCs of the First World War - The Naval VCs ''VCs of the First World War'' is a series of books that list the Victoria Cross recipients of the First World War. The series consists of 13 books written by four different authors, first published under the label Sutton Publishing Limited, part ...

(Stephen Snelling, 2002)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carless, John Henry 1896 births 1917 deaths Military personnel from Staffordshire People from Walsall Royal Navy sailors Royal Navy personnel of World War I British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel killed in World War I Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at sea