Geoffrey St. George Shillington Cather (11 October 1890 – 2 July 1916) was a 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

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. A soldier with the

Royal Irish Fusiliers The Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's) was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army, formed by the amalgamation of the 87th (Prince of Wales's Irish) Regiment of Foot and the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot in ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he was posthumously awarded the VC for his actions on 1 July 1916, during the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

Early life

Cather was born in

Streatham Hill Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surre ...

, south-west

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, on 11 October 1890 to R. G. Cather, who worked for the tea merchant company Joseph Tetley & Co., and his wife Margaret . His mother was the sister of the politician

David Graham Shillington Major David Graham Shillington PC(NI) (10 December 1872 – 22 January 1944) was an Ulster Unionist politician. Early life Shillington was a son of Thomas Primus Shillington (1831-1889), of Tavanagh House, Portadown, County Armagh, of a ...

. He was educated at Hazelwood School in

Limpsfield Limpsfield is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, at the foot of the North Downs close to Oxted railway station and the A25.

before going onto

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

. His schooling was curtailed in his mid-teens by the death of his father. He went to work for his late father's company, Joseph Tetley & Co. He spent much of the period from 1911 to 1914 in the United States and Canada on business.

First World War

On 3 September 1914, Cather enlisted in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

's Artists Rifles. He already had some military experience, having served for two years in the

Territorial Force The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry i ...

with the 19th Royal Fusiliers from 1909 to early 1911. The following May, he requested a transfer to the

on account of his parents both being from Northern Ireland. He was accordingly granted a commission in the 9th Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers, which was part of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Sent to the French sector of the Western Front in October 1915, Cather was soon 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 sub ...

and became adjutant of the battalion. The following July, the 36th Division took part in the

. On 1 July 1916, the opening day of the battle, Cather's battalion was tasked with capturing Beaucourt Station, near

Beaumont-Hamel Beaumont-Hamel () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. During the First World War, Beaumont-Hamel was close to the front line, near many attacks, especially during the Battle of the Somme, one of the larg ...

. However, there were heavy casualties amongst 9th Battalion and the adjacent 12th Battalion, and the Irish had to return to their starting positions leaving behind many wounded in

no man's land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

. That night, Cather went out to locate and bring in wounded. He was able to retrieve three men before retiring for the night. The next morning he went out again to locate more survivors but was killed by machinegun fire. For his actions, he was awarded the

(VC). The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The citation for his VC read as follows: Originally buried near where he was killed, Cather's grave was later lost. His name is listed on the

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who died in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. It is near the ...

, which was established near Thiepval in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

. A plaque to his memory is on the walls of the main building of Hazelwood School, which he attended in his youth; and he is listed on the Royal Fusiliers Regimental Memorial in St Anne's Cathedral in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Victoria Cross

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

presented Cather's VC to his mother on 31 March 1917, in a ceremony at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

. He was also entitled to the 1914–15 Star, the

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were struck in si ...

, and the Victory Medal. His VC and other medals were later donated by his brother to the

Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum The Royal Irish Fusiliers Museum is a military museum based in Sovereign's House at Armagh, Northern Ireland. The museum is a Grade B listed building. History The museum is located in a building which was built in the early 19th century on land ...

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

, Northern Ireland.

Notes

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cather, Geoffrey St George 1890 births 1916 deaths People from Streatham People educated at Hazelwood School People educated at Rugby School Royal Irish Fusiliers officers Artists' Rifles soldiers British Battle of the Somme recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel killed in the Battle of the Somme British Army personnel of World War I British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from London