World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. He received the award from British King George V at Buckingham Palace, London, England in December 1917 for his actions as a corporal in the 16th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment of the British Army on September 20, 1917 at Passchendaele Ridge during the Third Battle of Ypres (also known as the Battle of Passchendaele) in Belgium. Born in Longton, Staffordshire, England, he worked as a laborer prior to enlisting in the 3rd North Staffordshire Regiment of the British Army in 1915. The following year he transferred to the 16th Sherwood Foresters and was sent to France. In the Spring of 1918 he was gassed and nearly died from the effects. In 1919 he was discharged from the British Army at the rank of sergeant and worked as a bus conductor on the rural routes of the Staffordshire Moorlands and later as an inspector. During World War II he served in the British Home Guard. He died in Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire, England at the age of 68. His Victoria Cross Citation reads: "On 20 September 1917 southeast of Ypres, Belgium during an attack, visibility was bad owing to fog and smoke. As a result the two leading waves of the attack passed over certain hostile dugouts without clearing them and enemy rifles and machine-guns from these dugouts were inflicting severe casualties. Corporal Egerton at once responded to a call for volunteers to help in clearing up the situation and he dashed for the dugouts under heavy fire at short range. He shot a rifleman, a bomber and a gunner, by which time support had arrived and 29 of the enemy surrendered." His Victoria Cross is on display at the Sherwood Foresters Museum in Nottingham Castle, Nottingham, England.
World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. He received the award from British King George V at Buckingham Palace, London, England in December 1917 for his actions as a corporal in the 16th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment of the British Army on September 20, 1917 at Passchendaele Ridge during the Third Battle of Ypres (also known as the Battle of Passchendaele) in Belgium. Born in Longton, Staffordshire, England, he worked as a laborer prior to enlisting in the 3rd North Staffordshire Regiment of the British Army in 1915. The following year he transferred to the 16th Sherwood Foresters and was sent to France. In the Spring of 1918 he was gassed and nearly died from the effects. In 1919 he was discharged from the British Army at the rank of sergeant and worked as a bus conductor on the rural routes of the Staffordshire Moorlands and later as an inspector. During World War II he served in the British Home Guard. He died in Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire, England at the age of 68. His Victoria Cross Citation reads: "On 20 September 1917 southeast of Ypres, Belgium during an attack, visibility was bad owing to fog and smoke. As a result the two leading waves of the attack passed over certain hostile dugouts without clearing them and enemy rifles and machine-guns from these dugouts were inflicting severe casualties. Corporal Egerton at once responded to a call for volunteers to help in clearing up the situation and he dashed for the dugouts under heavy fire at short range. He shot a rifleman, a bomber and a gunner, by which time support had arrived and 29 of the enemy surrendered." His Victoria Cross is on display at the Sherwood Foresters Museum in Nottingham Castle, Nottingham, England.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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