Thomas Harold Broadbent Maufe VC (6 May 1898 – 28 March 1942) was an English 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 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. He was educated at Uppingham School.

VC details

He was 19 years old, and a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 124th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 4 June 1917 at

Feuchy Feuchy () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. It is a small village, with a little more than 1000 inhabitants, and had only about 500 inhabitants in 1914. It is situated two kilometers east of A ...

, France, Second Lieutenant Maufe, on his own initiative and under intense artillery fire repaired, unaided, the telephone wire between the forward and rear positions, thereby enabling his battery to open fire on the enemy. He also saved what could have been a disastrous occurrence by extinguishing a fire in an advanced ammunition dump caused by a heavy explosion, regardless of the risk he ran from the effects of gas shells in the dump.

Further information

By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, one of the youngest to hold that rank. After the war Maufe completed his interrupted education at Clare College, Cambridge and the Royal School of Mines where he was a member of The Chaps Club. Maufe served in the Home Guard as a volunteer during World War II in 28th West Riding (Otley) Bn. He was killed in an accident with a misfiring

trench mortar ''Minenwerfer'' ("mine launcher" or "mine thrower") is the German name for a class of short range mine shell launching mortars used extensively during the First World War by the Imperial German Army. The weapons were intended to be used by engin ...

during training at the age of 43 on 28 March 1942 near Ilkley. He is buried in Ilkley Cemetery. Maufe's name is listed on a war memorial on the gates of his former

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

, Nevill Holt, near the village of Medbourne, Leicestershire, along with other casualties of the world wars.

Family

He was the son of Frederick Broadbent and Helen Mann Maufe, of Warlbeck, Ilkley, West Yorkshire. He married Mary Gwendolen Carr. The family name was originally Muff but was changed to Maufe in 1909. The family part-owned the

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

department store

Brown Muff ''Brown Muff & Co, was a small chain of department stores based in Yorkshire, England, with its flagship store located in Bradford. It was purchased by House of Fraser in 1977. History Brown Muff & Co were started in 1814 by Elizabeth Brown at ...

& Co.In response to their rising fortunes they left Bradford and changed their name to Maufe, thereby inspiring the local ditty: "In Bradford 'tis good enoof/To be known as Mrs Muff/But in Ilkley by the river Wharfe/'Tis better to be known as Mrs Maufe!"''Daily Telegraph'' Obituary of Lieutenant Garry Maufe, 24 April 2009
/ref> He was a cousin of the architect Edward Maufe

References

Bibliography

External links

CWGC entry

''(West Yorkshire)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Maufe, Thomas Harold Broadbent 1898 births 1942 deaths People from Ilkley People educated at Uppingham School Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Artillery officers British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War II British Home Guard soldiers Accidental deaths in England British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Yorkshire Burials in West Yorkshire