Thomas Tannatt Pryce
Encyclopedia
Thomas Tannatt Pryce VC
MC & Bar
(17 January 1886 – 13 April 1918) was a Welsh
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 born at The Hague
and educated at Shrewsbury School
. He was a married man, originally from Montgomeryshire
. He originally served with the Gloucestershire Regiment and transferred to the Grenadier Guards
.
Pryce was 32 years old and an acting captain in the 4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, British Army
, (S.R.) during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 11 April 1918 at Vieux-Berquin
, France
, Captain Pryce led two platoons in a successful attack on a village. Early next day he was occupying a position with some 40 men, the rest having become casualties. He beat off four enemy attacks during the day, but by evening the enemy were within 60 yards of his trench. A bayonet
charge led by Captain Pryce drove them back some 100 yards, but he had only 17 men left with no ammunition when yet another attack came. He again led a bayonet charge and was last seen engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand struggle against overwhelming odds.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Grenadier Guards RHQ), London
, England.
Pryce's name is recorded on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing
in Berks Cemetery Extension
near Ploegsteert in Hainaut, Belgium
. He has no known grave.
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....
MC & Bar
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(17 January 1886 – 13 April 1918) was a Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
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 born at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
and educated at Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
. He was a married man, originally from Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
. He originally served with the Gloucestershire Regiment and transferred to the Grenadier Guards
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
.
Pryce was 32 years old and an acting captain in the 4th Battalion, Grenadier Guards, 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...
, (S.R.) during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 11 April 1918 at Vieux-Berquin
Vieux-Berquin
-References:*...
, 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...
, Captain Pryce led two platoons in a successful attack on a village. Early next day he was occupying a position with some 40 men, the rest having become casualties. He beat off four enemy attacks during the day, but by evening the enemy were within 60 yards of his trench. A bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
charge led by Captain Pryce drove them back some 100 yards, but he had only 17 men left with no ammunition when yet another attack came. He again led a bayonet charge and was last seen engaged in a fierce hand-to-hand struggle against overwhelming odds.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Grenadier Guards RHQ), 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...
, England.
Pryce's name is recorded on the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing
Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing
The Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial for the missing soldiers of World War I who fought in the immediate area of the Ypres Salient on the Western Front.The grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in...
in Berks Cemetery Extension
Berks Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Extension
Berks Cemetery Extension is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in Ploegsteert in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front....
near Ploegsteert in Hainaut, 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...
. He has no known grave.