Joseph Tombs
| Joseph Harcourt Tombs | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 23 March 1887 Birmingham, England |
| Died | 28 June 1966 (aged 79) Toronto, Canada |
| Buried at | Pine Hills Cemetery, Toronto |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom Canada
|
| Service/branch |
 British ArmyRoyal Canadian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1912 - 1920 (UK) 1939 - 1944 (Canada) |
| Rank |
Corporal (UK) Sergeant (Canada) |
| Unit | The King's (Liverpool Regiment) |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Cross of St George 4th Class (Russia) |
Joseph Harcourt Tombs VC (23 Mar 1887 – 28 June 1966), born Frederick Griffith Tombs, who under the name Joseph Tombs, was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award of the British (Imperial) honours system. The VC is awarded for ‘most conspicuous bravery … in the presence of the enemy’.
Tombs was born in Birmingham and was a 28-year-old Lance-Corporal in the 1st Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment), British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 16 May 1915 near Rue du Bois, France, Lance-Corporal Tombs, on his own initiative, crawled out repeatedly under very heavy shell and machine-gun fire to bring in wounded men who were lying about 100 yards in front of our trenches. He rescued four men, one of whom he dragged back by means of a rifle sling placed round his own neck and the man's body.
He was promoted corporal and after the war, in 1921, emigrated to Canada where he spent the rest of his life. During World War II Tombs enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and served at the Flying School in Trenton, Ontario. A 1952 operation to remove some of the shrapnel still embedded in his stomach was not completely successful, and in 1964 he suffered a stroke. His Victoria Cross is held by the Royal Regiment of Canada Foundation, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
...
Wikipedia