Frederick William Hedges
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Hedges VC (6 June 1896 - 29 May 1954) was a 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...

 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.

Details

Hedges was 22 years old, and a temporary lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 in The Bedfordshire Regiment, 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...

, attached to the 6th Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment 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...

 at the Pursuit to the Selle
Pursuit to the Selle
The Pursuit to the Selle, a portion of which is referred to as the Battle of the Selle, was a series of skirmishes between allied forces and the German Army, fought during what is known as The Last Hundred Days of World War I, and which occurred after the Second Battle of Cambrai.The pursuit began...


when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 24 October 1918 north-east of Bousies
Bousies
Bousies is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-History:Bousies was part of County of Hainaut, an enclave in Cambrésis of which it was one of the 12 peerages. In 1007, Jean, Lord of Bousies, as peer of Cambrésis, pledged fidelity to bishop Herbin Ist, Count of Cambrai...

, 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...

, Lieutenant Hedges led his company with great skill towards the final objective, maintaining direction under the most difficult conditions. When the advance was held up by enemy machine-gun posts the lieutenant, accompanied by one sergeant and followed at some considerable distance by a Lewis gun section, again advanced, capturing six machine-guns and 14 prisoners. His gallantry and initiative enabled the whole line to advance and contributed largely to the success of subsequent operations.

Hedges suffered from depression after the death of his son in a drowning accident and hanged himself.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment gallery located in Wardown Park Museum, Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....

, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....

.

External links

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