Harry Greenwood

Lieutenant Colonel Harry Greenwood, VC, DSO & Bar, OBE, MC (25 November 1881 – 5 May 1948) was a British Army officer and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

For the Australian actor, see Harry Greenwood (actor).

Harry Greenwood
Born(1881-11-25)25 November 1881
Victoria Barracks, Windsor
Died5 May 1948(1948-05-05) (aged 66)
Wimbledon, London
Buried
Putney Vale Cemetery, London
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
RankLieutenant Colonel
UnitKing's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
Royal Pioneer Corps
Battles/warsSecond Boer War
First World War
Second World War
AwardsVictoria Cross
Distinguished Service Order & Bar
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Military Cross

Early life

Greenwood was born in Victoria Barracks, Windsor, the eldest of nine children to Charles Greenwood and Margaret Abernethy.[1]

Military career

Greenwood was 36 years old, and an acting lieutenant colonel in the 9th Battalion, the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, British Army, during the First World War, when he performed a deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On 23 October 1918 at Ovillers, France, when the advance of the battalion was checked by enemy machine gun fire, Lieutenant-Colonel Greenwood single-handedly rushed the position and killed the crew. Subsequently, accompanied by two runners, he took another machine-gun post, but then found that his command was almost surrounded by the enemy, who started to attack. Repulsing this attack, the colonel led his troops forward, capturing the last objective with 150 prisoners, eight machine guns, and one field gun. On 24 October he again inspired his men to such a degree that the last objective was captured and the line held in spite of heavy casualties.[2]

Later life

Greenwood died in Wimbledon, aged 66 and is buried at Putney Vale Cemetery. His medal is held at the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum in Doncaster.

A red granite gravestone in a grassy cemetery
Greenwood's grave at Putney Vale Cemetery, London, in 2015
Blue Plaque at Victoria Barracks, Windsor for Harry Greenwood

References
  1. Windsor Council Archived 2012-12-24 at archive.today
  2. "No. 31082". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 December 1918. p. 15117.

Further reading
  • Valour Beyond All Praise: Harry Greenwood VC (Derek Hunt 2003)
  • News item "Harry Greenwood's Victoria Cross donated to the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry Museum"
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