Hanson Victor Turner VC (17 July 1910 – 7 June 1944) was an English recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, 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. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces.

Details

Turner was 33 years old, and an acting

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the 1st Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own),

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the Second World War. He was awarded the VC for his actions on 6/7 June 1944 during

Operation U-Go The U Go offensive, or Operation C (, ), was the Japanese offensive launched in March 1944 against forces of the British Empire in the northeast Indian regions of Manipur and the Naga Hills (then administered as part of Assam). Aimed at the Br ...

at Ningthoukong,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, when he almost "single-handedly" and with "doggedness and spirit of endurance of the highest order" held off Japanese attacks until the morning by running back to replenish his supplies. He was killed while throwing a grenade.

Citation

The citation refers to Ningthoukong as being in Burma, but it is actually in the state of Manipur in India.

Legacy

Although Hanson Victor Turner was 'originally' a 'Duke', he was serving with The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) when he was awarded his VC. When his medal was put up for sale, at auction, it was purchased by the Halifax Town Council, as he was a local, Halifax, resident. It is displayed in

The Duke of Wellington's Regiment The Duke of Wellington's Regiment (West Riding) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, forming part of the King's Division. In 1702, Colonel George Hastings, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, was authorised to raise a new regiment, which he di ...

Regimental Museum in

Bankfield Museum Bankfield Museum is a grade II listed building, listed historic house museum, incorporating a regimental museum and textiles gallery in Boothtown, Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax, England. It is notable for its past ownership and development ...

, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.

References

*''

British VCs of World War 2 The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other Orders, decorati ...

'' (John Laffin, 1997) *''

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a British historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took ...

'' (David Harvey, 1999) *''

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the f ...

'' (This England, 1997)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Hanson Victor 1910 births 1944 deaths British Army personnel killed in World War II West Yorkshire Regiment soldiers Duke of Wellington's Regiment soldiers People from Andover, Hampshire British World War II recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Military personnel from Hampshire