Sidney Clayton Woodroffe
Encyclopedia
Sidney Clayton Woodroffe VC
(17 December 1895 - 30 July 1915) 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.
, East Sussex
and was educated at Marlborough College
.
He was 19 years old, and a second lieutenant
in the 8th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
, British Army
during the First World War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 30 July 1915 at Hooge
, Belgium
, when the enemy had broken through the centre of our front trenches, Second Lieutenant Woodroffe's position was heavily attacked with bombs from the flank and subsequently from the rear, but he managed to defend his post until all his bombs were exhausted. He then skillfully withdrew his remaining men and immediately led them forward in a counter-attack under intense rifle and machine-gun fire, and was killed whilst in the act of cutting the wire obstacles in the open.
in Ypres. His entry is possibly unique, in that the postnomial VC appears before his name, and was most likely added at a later date. He is also listed on the Lewes War Memorial.
War poet Charles Sorley
, a contemporary of Woodfroffe at Marlborough, dedicated a poem to Woodroffe entitled 'In Memoriam SCW VC'
He was the brother of Kenneth Woodroffe
, a cricketer who played for Hampshire and Sussex. Kenneth was also killed in 1915 whilst serving with the Rifle Brigade.
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 December 1895 - 30 July 1915) 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
Woodroffe was born in LewesLewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
and was educated at Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
.
He was 19 years old, and a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the 8th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
The Rifle Brigade was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army, formed in 1800 to provide sharpshooters, scouts and skirmishers...
, 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 30 July 1915 at Hooge
Hooge
Hooge can refer to:*Hooge, Prince Su*Houvenkopf Mountain known as "Hooge Kop"*Hooge, Germany, an island and municipality in northern Germany*Hooge, Belgium...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, when the enemy had broken through the centre of our front trenches, Second Lieutenant Woodroffe's position was heavily attacked with bombs from the flank and subsequently from the rear, but he managed to defend his post until all his bombs were exhausted. He then skillfully withdrew his remaining men and immediately led them forward in a counter-attack under intense rifle and machine-gun fire, and was killed whilst in the act of cutting the wire obstacles in the open.
Further information
2nd Lt. Woodroffe has no known grave and is commemorated at the Menin GateMenin Gate
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
in Ypres. His entry is possibly unique, in that the postnomial VC appears before his name, and was most likely added at a later date. He is also listed on the Lewes War Memorial.
War poet Charles Sorley
Charles Sorley
Charles Hamilton Sorley was a British poet of World War I.Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, he was the son of William Ritchie Sorley. He was educated, like Siegfried Sassoon, at Marlborough College...
, a contemporary of Woodfroffe at Marlborough, dedicated a poem to Woodroffe entitled 'In Memoriam SCW VC'
He was the brother of Kenneth Woodroffe
Kenneth Woodroffe
Kenneth Herbert Clayton Woodroffe was an English first-class cricketer and British Army officer who was killed in action during World War I....
, a cricketer who played for Hampshire and Sussex. Kenneth was also killed in 1915 whilst serving with the Rifle Brigade.