William Buckingham VC (February 1886 – 15 September 1916) 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 ...

(VC), 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 forces. He received the VC during the First World War, for his actions during the

Battle of Neuve Chapelle The Battle of Neuve Chapelle (10–13 March 1915) took place in the First World War in the Artois region of France. The attack was intended to cause a rupture in the German lines, which would then be exploited with a rush to the Aubers Ridge a ...

in March 1915. He was killed the following year at

Thiepval Thiepval (; pcd, Tièbvo) is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Thiepval is located north of Albert at the crossroads of the D73 and D151 and approximately northeast of Amiens. Population First Wo ...

Early life

The exact date of William Buckingham's birth is not known, but he was born in February 1886 in

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, England. He was the oldest child of William and Annie Billington. His father died in 1888, and his mother remarried in 1891, to Thomas Buckingham. A couple of years later, when William was six, he and his brother was placed in the

Countesthorpe Countesthorpe is a large village and civil parish in the Leicestershire district of Blaby, with a population of 6,393 (2001 census, falling slightly to 6,377 at the 2011 census. It lies to the south of Leicester, and is about from the city ...

Cottage Homes, near Leicester, where he would spend most of his youth.

Military career

Buckingham joined 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 ...

in November 1901, when he was nearly 16, and was posted to the 2nd Battalion of The

Leicestershire Regiment The Leicestershire Regiment (Royal Leicestershire Regiment after 1946) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, with a history going back to 1688. The regiment saw service for three centuries, in numerous wars and conflicts such as both W ...

. With the regiment, he served on Guernsey and in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

First World War

On the outbreak of the First World War, Buckingham was still in India with the 2nd Battalion. It was attached to the

20th Indian Brigade The Garhwal Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Indian Army formed in 1902 as a result of the Kitchener Reforms. It was mobilized as 20th (Garhwal) Brigade at the outbreak of the First World War as part of the 7th (Meerut) Divisio ...

, 7th (Meerut) Division, and sent to the Western Front with the

Indian Corps The I Indian Corps was an army corps of the British Indian Army in the World War I. It was formed at the outbreak of war under the title Indian Corps from troops sent to the Western Front. The British Indian Army did not have a pre-war corps stru ...

. He fought at the Defence of Givenchy, with his name being forwarded to Lieutenant General

James Willcocks General Sir James Willcocks, (1 April 1857 – 18 December 1926) was a British Army officer who spent most of his career in India and Africa and held high command during the First World War. Early life and education Willcocks was born in Bara ...

, the commander of the Indian Corps, for special mention. In March 1915, the Meerut Division was selected to be involved in the

, which called for an assault on the German lines at Neuve Chapelle. The Meerut Division was to help force a gap for the Cavalry Corps to exploit. His battalion was on the right of the division's sector and proceeded to capture a section of German trenches that had been overlooked for a preliminary artillery barrage. Over the next two days, until relieved, the battalion resisted German counterattacks and artillery. During this time, Buckingham carried out several sorties to recover men who had been wounded. For his actions, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (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 e ...

. The citation reads as follows: Buckingham was wounded in the chest during the fighting, and was sent to England for recovery. He was unaware of the award of the VC until an acquaintance showed him a newspaper reporting it.

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 Qu ...

presented him with the VC on 4 June 1915, in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. His caregivers from the Countesthorpe Cottage Homes were present for the investiture. It was later discovered that his mother was still alive, his stepfather having apparently abandoned the family many years previously. His hometown of Leicester took some pride in the award, gifting him £100 in war loan stock and a purse of gold. Rather than immediately returning to his battalion, Buckingham was used in recruitment drives for the war effort. He remained in England until April 1916, at which time he was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment. He was promoted to acting corporal for a time but requested a return to his previous rank of private. He was killed at

on 15 September 1916, during the later stages of the Battle of the Somme. He has no known grave and his name is recorded on the

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme 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 ...

Medals

His medals, which in addition to the VC, included the

1914 Star The 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, is a British World War I campaign medal for service in France or Belgium between 5 August and 22 November 1914. Institution The 1914 Star was authorised under Special Army Order no. 350 in No ...

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, were in the care of Countesthorpe Cottage Homes until 1958, at which time the facility was closed. They were then transferred to the care of the Child Welfare Department in Leicester. Since 1966, the medals have been displayed at the Royal Leicestershire Regiment Museum Collection in the

Newarke Houses Museum The Newarke Houses Museum is a public museum in Leicester, England. It incorporates the museum of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, and has a range of exhibits illustrating post-medieval and contemporary Leicester. The museum is close to the 15 ...

, Leicester.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Pte Buckingham visits Countesthorpe Cottage Homes where he grew up
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckingham, William 1886 births 1916 deaths Royal Leicestershire Regiment soldiers British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel killed in the Battle of the Somme British Army personnel of World War I People from Bedford British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Countesthorpe Military personnel from Bedfordshire