John Leslie Green
Encyclopedia
John Leslie Green VC
(4 December 1888 – 1 July 1916) 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 went on to study medicine at Downing College, Cambridge
, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. At the outbreak of World War I
he had not yet completed his medical studies, but was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps. Green married Miss E M Moss on 1 January 1916.
in the Royal Army Medical Corps
, British Army
, attached to 1/5th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment). He saw in the Battle of Loos
. He was 27 years old, when he performed a deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
in Aldershot
, England.
. He is listed on the Role of Honour in the village church.
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....
(4 December 1888 – 1 July 1916) 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.
Early life
Born in Buckden, Huntingdonshire to John George and Florence May Green, Green attended Felsted SchoolFelsted School
Felsted School, an English co-educational day and boarding independent school, situated in Felsted, Essex. It is in the British Public School tradition, and was founded in 1564 by Richard Rich, 1st Baron Rich who, as Lord Chancellor and Chancellor of the Court of Augmentations, acquired...
, and went on to study medicine at Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. At the outbreak of World War I
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...
he had not yet completed his medical studies, but was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps. Green married Miss E M Moss on 1 January 1916.
Military career
Green served as a captainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the Royal Army Medical Corps
Royal Army Medical Corps
The Royal Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all British Army personnel and their families in war and in peace...
, 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 1/5th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment). He saw in the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
. He was 27 years old, when he performed a deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Citation
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Army Medical Services MuseumArmy Medical Services Museum
The Army Medical Services Museum is located in the Defence Medical Services Training Centre, Keogh Barracks, on Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett, Surrey, England. It moved into its present building in 1982...
in Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, England.
Legacy
Leslie Green has a road named after him in Houghton, CambridgeshireHoughton, Cambridgeshire
Houghton is a village in the English county of Cambridgeshire. Prior to 1974, it was part of the former county of Huntingdonshire. The village is in the civil parish of Houghton and Wyton and is situated between Huntingdon and St Ives on the A1123 road, and not far south of RAF Wyton...
. He is listed on the Role of Honour in the village church.
See also
- Monuments to CourageMonuments to CourageMonuments to Courage: Victoria Cross Monuments and Headstones is a two-volume book by David Harvey on the last resting places of 1,322 of the 1,350 recipients of the Victoria Cross. The 896 page book has over 5,000 illustrations and a large index enabling one to cross reference with ease. There is...
- The Register of the Victoria CrossThe Register of the Victoria CrossThe Register of the Victoria Cross is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross ever awarded: it provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the awardee and the following details where applicable or available; rank, unit, other decorations, date of...
- VCs of the First World War - The Somme