Eustace Jotham VC (28 November 1883 – 7 January 1915) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

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and Commonwealth forces.

Early life and career

Born in

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it ha ...

28 November 1883, Jotham attended Lucton School in Herefordshire for five years and at the age of 16, in 1899, he transferred to

Bromsgrove School Bromsgrove School is a co-educational independent day and boarding school in the Worcestershire town of Bromsgrove, England. Founded in 1553, it is one of the oldest public schools in Britain, and one of the 14 founding members of the Headmaste ...

. In 1901, at the age of 18, he left to attend the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

. He was commissioned into the Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment as a second lieutenant on 22 April 1903 and joined the 2nd battalion, embarking for a tour of duty in India. In 1903 Jotham sailed to India with the North Staffords and served with them until 1905. Under the Indian Army regulations for admission paragraph 13 British army officers could transfer to the Indian army. Jotham transferred to the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

on 23 June 1905 (backdated to his commissioning date in 1903), and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the

102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers The 102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers was an infantry regiment of the British Indian Army. It could trace its origins to 1796, when it was raised as the 13th Battalion, Bombay Native Infantry. The Grenadiers were part of the Indian army whi ...

on 22 July 1905. In October 1906 he transferred to the 51st Sikhs and is listed in the records as a 'double company officer'. He was promoted captain on 22 April 1912. In 1913 he returned to England for what would be his last period of home leave. Just before he returned to India he was a passenger on a train involved in the accident at Ais Gill and participated in rescue operations. He appeared as a witness at the inquiry held immediately after the accident. On his return to India he was attached to the

North Waziristan Militia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

during 1914–1915 and it was during this attachment on operations in the

Tochi Valley The Tochi Valley, also known as Dawar (from Middle Iranic dātbar, meaning "Justice-giver"), is a fertile area located in the North Waziristan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.Khyber.ORGDawarh.Retrieved on 21-6-2012.Bosworth, Cl ...

area of the North West Frontier that he was killed in action on 7 January 1915. His bravery during these operations earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross.

Citation

Burial and memorials

He was buried in the

Miranshah Mīrānshāh (Pashto and ur, ) or Mīrāmshāh () is a small town that is the administrative headquarters of North Waziristan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Miranshah lies on the banks of the Tochi River in a wide valley surr ...

Cemetery,

North Waziristan North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanis ...

, and is commemorated on the Delhi Memorial (India Gate). On 7 January 2015, the 100th anniversary of his death, a memorial paving stone to Jotham was unveiled at St Mary's and All Saints Church in his home town of Kidderminster. Jotham's Victoria Cross is held at

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jotham, Eustace 1883 births 1915 deaths Military personnel from Worcestershire British Indian Army officers British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Indian Army personnel of World War I British Indian Army personnel killed in action People educated at Lucton School People educated at Bromsgrove School People from Kidderminster North Staffordshire Regiment officers