Sidney Bates
Encyclopedia
Sidney Bates VC
(14 June 1921 – 8 August 1944) 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.
He was the son of Frederick, a rag and bone man
, and Gladys May Bates, of Camberwell
in London
. He joined the Royal Norfolk Regiment in 1940 after it had returned from Delhi
.
Bates was 23 years old, and a corporal
in the 1st Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment, British Army
during the Second World War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 6 August 1944 near Sourdeval
, France
, when the enemy had penetrated deeply in the area occupied by his section, Corporal Bates seized a light machine-gun and charged, moving forward through a hail of bullets. Although wounded twice he was undaunted and continued firing until the enemy started to withdraw before him. At this moment he was wounded for a third time mortally. He still went on firing, however, until his strength failed him, but by this time the enemy had withdrawn and the situation had been restored. He died two days later.
The Norfolks' position was under attack by the 10th SS Panzer Division. The final costs of fighting around Sourdeval for the Norfolks was 160 casualties out of 550. The recommendation for the award was made by Major Cooper-Key, the commanding officer of B Company of the 1st Battalion. The recommendation was turned down initially but Cooper-Key persevered. According to Sergeant George Smith the battalion had been on the march when they had come under fire. A Bren
gunner had been killed next to Corporal Bates, who had immediately seized the machine gun and started firing on the enemy.
The official citation in the London Gazette
stated "Corporal Bates, by his supreme gallantry and self-sacrifice, had personally saved a critical situation."
His grave is in the Bayeux War Cemetery, Calvados
, France. (Reference XX. E. 19)
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Royal Norfolk Regiment Museum, Norwich
, England. The museum trustees purchased it for £20,000 in the 1980s. His was one of 5 VCs won by members of the Royal Norfolks during the Second World War.
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....
(14 June 1921 – 8 August 1944) 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.
He was the son of Frederick, a rag and bone man
Rag and bone man
Rag and bone man is a British phrase for a junk dealer. Historically the phrase referred to an individual who would travel the streets of a city with a horsedrawn cart, and would collect old rags for making fabric and paper, bones for making glue, scrap iron for recycling, and assorted miscellany...
, and Gladys May Bates, of Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He joined the Royal Norfolk Regiment in 1940 after it had returned from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
.
Bates was 23 years old, and a corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
in the 1st Battalion The Royal Norfolk 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...
during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 6 August 1944 near Sourdeval
Sourdeval
Sourdeval is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-Heraldry:-See also:*Communes of the Manche department...
, 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...
, when the enemy had penetrated deeply in the area occupied by his section, Corporal Bates seized a light machine-gun and charged, moving forward through a hail of bullets. Although wounded twice he was undaunted and continued firing until the enemy started to withdraw before him. At this moment he was wounded for a third time mortally. He still went on firing, however, until his strength failed him, but by this time the enemy had withdrawn and the situation had been restored. He died two days later.
The Norfolks' position was under attack by the 10th SS Panzer Division. The final costs of fighting around Sourdeval for the Norfolks was 160 casualties out of 550. The recommendation for the award was made by Major Cooper-Key, the commanding officer of B Company of the 1st Battalion. The recommendation was turned down initially but Cooper-Key persevered. According to Sergeant George Smith the battalion had been on the march when they had come under fire. A Bren
Bren
The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun, was a series of light machine guns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1991...
gunner had been killed next to Corporal Bates, who had immediately seized the machine gun and started firing on the enemy.
The official citation in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
stated "Corporal Bates, by his supreme gallantry and self-sacrifice, had personally saved a critical situation."
His grave is in the Bayeux War Cemetery, Calvados
Calvados
The French department of Calvados is part of the region of Basse-Normandie in Normandy. It takes its name from a cluster of rocks off the English Channel coast...
, France. (Reference XX. E. 19)
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Royal Norfolk Regiment Museum, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
, England. The museum trustees purchased it for £20,000 in the 1980s. His was one of 5 VCs won by members of the Royal Norfolks during the Second World War.