Leonard Allan Lewis
Encyclopedia
Allan Leonard Lewis VC
(28 February 1895 - 21 September 1918) 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.
during the First World War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 18 September 1918 at Rossnoy, near Lempire, France
, Lance-Corporal Lewis was in command of a section on the right of the attacking line, held up by intense machine-gun fire. He saw that two guns were enfilading the line and crawled forward alone, successfully bombed the guns and by rifle fire made the whole team surrender. On 21 September he rushed his company through the enemy barrage, but was killed while getting his men under cover from heavy machine-gun fire.
as he has no known grave
The medal was handed to Lance-Corporal's Lewis's elder brother Frank by their mothers. She made him promise that the medal would never be sold as she said that she lost a son, and she considered it would be blood money. He kept the medal in his home until his death. It was then agreed by the children of Frank that as he still had a brother, alive, he could hold the medal for his remaining days and then it was to be placed in a museum, either the regimental or local Hereford. Unfortunately when this brother died, the medal was assumed to be part of his estate and was kept by sole beneficiary of the will. Despite requests from Franks close family, the medal was not put into a museum.
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....
(28 February 1895 - 21 September 1918) 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.
Details
Lewis was 23 years old, and a Lance-Corporal in the 6th Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment, British ArmyBritish 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 18 September 1918 at Rossnoy, near Lempire, 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...
, Lance-Corporal Lewis was in command of a section on the right of the attacking line, held up by intense machine-gun fire. He saw that two guns were enfilading the line and crawled forward alone, successfully bombed the guns and by rifle fire made the whole team surrender. On 21 September he rushed his company through the enemy barrage, but was killed while getting his men under cover from heavy machine-gun fire.
Further information
Lance-Corporal Lewis is remembered on the Vis-en-Artois memorial near Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, HaucourtVis-En-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt
The Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I located between the communes of Vis-en-Artois and Haucourt in the département of Pas-de-Calais, France.-History:...
as he has no known grave
The medal was handed to Lance-Corporal's Lewis's elder brother Frank by their mothers. She made him promise that the medal would never be sold as she said that she lost a son, and she considered it would be blood money. He kept the medal in his home until his death. It was then agreed by the children of Frank that as he still had a brother, alive, he could hold the medal for his remaining days and then it was to be placed in a museum, either the regimental or local Hereford. Unfortunately when this brother died, the medal was assumed to be part of his estate and was kept by sole beneficiary of the will. Despite requests from Franks close family, the medal was not put into a museum.