Cyril Hubert Frisby
Encyclopedia
Captain Cyril Hubert Frisby VC
(17 September 1885 - 10 September 1961) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
Frisby was 33 years old, and an acting captain in the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
, British Army
during the First World War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 27 September 1918 at the Battle of Canal du Nord, near Graincourt, France
, Captain Frisby was in command of a company detailed to capture a canal crossing, but when the canal was reached, the leading platoon came under annihilating fire from a strong enemy post under the bridge on the far side of the canal. Captain Frisby with a lance-corporal (Thomas Norman Jackson
) and two others, climbed down into the canal under intense fire and succeeded in capturing the post with two machine-guns and 12 men. Then having consolidated his objective he gave timely support to a company which had lost all its officers and sergeants, organising the defences and beating off a heavy counter-attack.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Coldstream Guards Regimental Headquarters, Wellington Barracks, London
.
After the war he spent much of his time tuna
fishing. He has been described as Britain's most famous tuna fisherman and on one day in the 1930s caught five tuna, including a 659 pounds (298.9 kg) specimen.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(17 September 1885 - 10 September 1961) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Frisby was 33 years old, and an acting captain in the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards
Coldstream Guards
Her Majesty's Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards, also known officially as the Coldstream Guards , is a regiment of the British Army, part of the Guards Division or Household Division....
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 27 September 1918 at the Battle of Canal du Nord, near Graincourt, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Captain Frisby was in command of a company detailed to capture a canal crossing, but when the canal was reached, the leading platoon came under annihilating fire from a strong enemy post under the bridge on the far side of the canal. Captain Frisby with a lance-corporal (Thomas Norman Jackson
Thomas Norman Jackson
Thomas Norman Jackson VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces....
) and two others, climbed down into the canal under intense fire and succeeded in capturing the post with two machine-guns and 12 men. Then having consolidated his objective he gave timely support to a company which had lost all its officers and sergeants, organising the defences and beating off a heavy counter-attack.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Coldstream Guards Regimental Headquarters, Wellington Barracks, London
Wellington Barracks, London
The Foot Guards Battalions on public duties in London are located in barracks conveniently close to Buckingham Palace for them to be able to reach the Palace very quickly in an emergency. In central London, a battalion is based at Wellington Barracks, Westminster, about 300 yards from Buckingham...
.
After the war he spent much of his time tuna
Tuna
Tuna is a salt water fish from the family Scombridae, mostly in the genus Thunnus. Tuna are fast swimmers, and some species are capable of speeds of . Unlike most fish, which have white flesh, the muscle tissue of tuna ranges from pink to dark red. The red coloration derives from myoglobin, an...
fishing. He has been described as Britain's most famous tuna fisherman and on one day in the 1930s caught five tuna, including a 659 pounds (298.9 kg) specimen.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Brookwood Cemetery)
- The Brookwood Cemetery Society (Known Holders of the Victoria Cross Commemorated in Brookwood Cemetery)