Thomas Whitham VC (11 May 1888 – 22 October 1924) 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 ...

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 previousl ...

, 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.

War service

On 25 January 1915, Whitham enlisted in the British Army. He was 29 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,

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

, during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 31 July 1917 at Pilckem near

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality ...

, Belgium, during an attack an enemy machine-gun was seen to be

enfilading Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...

the battalion on the right. Private Whitham on his own initiative immediately worked his way from shell-hole to shell-hole through our own barrage, reached the machine-gun and, although under very heavy fire captured it, together with an officer and two other ranks. This bold action was of great assistance to the battalion and undoubtedly saved many lives.

Post war

After the war he became a bricklayer but he struggled to find work. He was forced to sell his VC and a gold watch that had been presented to him by Burnley council in recognition of his bravery. Both ended up in a pawn shop but were rescued by the council and remain on display in the Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museums in

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Br ...

. Thomas died in poverty aged 36. He was buried on 27 October 1924 at

Wheatley Lane Wheatley Lane is a village in Pendle, Lancashire, England. It is close to Nelson, Barrowford and Burnley. It lies to the north of the A6068 road, known locally as the Padiham bypass, or "The New Road". Wheatley Lane is an extended village c ...

Inghamite Church. In 1952 a grave memorial was erected for him by the Coldstream Guards association.Burnley Borough Council - Thomas Whitham – Not Forgotten
Dead link In 2008, it was announced that Burnley Schools' Sixth Form would be renamed

Thomas Whitham Sixth Form Thomas Whitham Sixth Form was a mixed 16 to 18 sixth form centre in Burnley, Lancashire. History The sixth form opened in September 2006, as part of the first wave of a nationwide 10 to 15-year programme of capital investment funded by the ...

. A grandson was professional footballer Jack Whitham.

Additional awards

* The 1914-15 Star * The

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in ...

* The WWI Victory Medal

References

* Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999) * The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997) *

VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 ''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, 1998)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Lancashire)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitham, Thomas 1888 births 1924 deaths People from Worsthorne British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Coldstream Guards soldiers British Army personnel of World War I British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials in Lancashire Military personnel from Lancashire