John Harrison (12 November 1890 – 3 May 1917) was a professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

footballer who played for

Hull F.C. Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull F.C., is a professional rugby league club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Hull play their home games at the MKM Stadium and compete in Super League, the ...

He later became a British Army officer, and was the posthumous 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 ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

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forces.

Early life

Harrison was born in

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

on 12 November 1890. His father was a plater and boilermaker in the Earles Shipyard. After leaving school, Harrison studied at St John's College, York (now

York St John University York St John University (originally established as York Diocesan College), often abbreviated to YSJ, is a public university located on a large urban campus in York, England. Established in 1841, it achieved university status in 2006 and in 2015 ...

) where he was Rugby club captain and also represented the College at cricket and swimming before becoming a teacher later at Lime Street School in Hull. In York, he caught the attention of the York rugby league club, and played for them five times in 1911–12, scoring three tries. He returned to Hull in September 1912 and married Lillian on 1 September 1914. He was invited to join

which included

Billy Batten William Batten (26 May 1889 – 26 January 1959) was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, England and Yorkshire, and at club level for Hun ...

, and played his first match on 5 September 1912. In 1913–14 season, he scored a record 52 tries and he went on to score a total of 106 tries in 116 matches for Hull up to 1916. Jack Harrison played on the and scored a try in Hull F.C.'s 6–0 victory over

Wakefield Trinity Wakefield Trinity is a professional rugby league club in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The club play their home fixtures at the DIY Kitchen Stadium, Belle Vue (Wakefield), Belle Vue and currently compete in the Super League, the top tier o ...

in the 1914 Challenge Cup Final during the 1913–14 season at

Thrum Hall Thrum Hall was a rugby league stadium on Hanson Lane in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. It was the home of Halifax R.L.F.C., Halifax for 112 years. The site on which the ground stood is now occupied by a supermarket. History In 1878, Halifa ...

, Halifax, in front of a crowd of 19,000.

First World War

Not long after the birth of his son, Jackie, and while living at 75 Wharncliffe Street, Hull, Harrison volunteered for the army. He started receiving officer training on 4 November 1915,Jack Harrison, VC, MC
Hullsweb as a private in the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps. On completion of training, he was commissioned as a probationary temporary second lieutenant in the

East Yorkshire Regiment The East Yorkshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, first raised in 1685 as Sir William Clifton's Regiment of Foot and later renamed the 15th Regiment of Foot. It saw service for three centuries, before eventually being ...

on 5 August 1916, and was posted to 6 Platoon, 11th (Service) Battalion (the Hull Tradesmen). In February 1917 the Hull brigade entered the front line once again and Jack was soon in the thick of the action. On 25 February, Harrison led a patrol into no man's land, and for this action he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

(MC).Bilton, ''Hull Pals'', Appendix 3. The citation for his MC read: On 3 May 1917 came the actions that led to his VC, during the

Capture of Oppy Wood The Capture of Oppy Wood was an engagement on the Western Front during the First World War on 28 June 1917. The Battle of Arras of 1917 ended with the Germans in possession of a fortified wood to the west of the village of Oppy, which overloo ...

as part of the Battle of Arras. Ordered, with the rest of his brigade, to attack a wood near

Oppy, Pas-de-Calais Oppy () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France about northeast of Arras. Population See also *Capture of Oppy Wood *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 8 ...

, his platoon became pinned down by machine gun fire. The citation for his VC describes events in more detail: Harrison's body was never found. He is commemorated on the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mil ...

Arras Memorial The Arras Memorial is a World War I memorial in France, located in the Faubourg d'Amiens British Cemetery, in the western part of the town of Arras. The memorial commemorates 35,942 soldiers of the forces of the United Kingdom, South Africa and ...

Further information

Lilian Harrison was presented with his Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace by

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. George was born during the reign of his pa ...

in March 1918. The war widow benefitted from a fund raised in Hull to provide for the younger John Harrison’s education. Their son went on to serve as an officer in the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and was killed as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the defence of Dunkirk, and is buried in the Dunkirk town cemetery. Lillian Harrison died on 5 December 1977, and bequeathed Harrison's medals to the East Yorkshire regimental museum in

Beverley Beverley is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is located north-west of Hull city centre. At the 2021 census the built-up area of the town had a population of 30,930, and the smaller civil parish had ...

(now part of the Museum of Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire Museum in Tower St, York). In 2017, York St John alumnus, Patrick H. A. Neal, released his biography of Harrison, ''The Heroic Johnsman: The Story of Jack Harrison VC, MC''.

Notes

References

* David Bilton, ''Hull Pals, 10th, 11th 12th and 13th Battalions East Yorkshire Regiment – A History of 92 Infantry Brigade, 31st Division'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2014, . * David Bilton, ''Hull in the Great War 1914–1919'', Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2015, . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Jack 1890 births 1917 deaths British Army personnel of World War I British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel killed in World War I Alumni of York St John University British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross East Yorkshire Regiment officers English rugby league players Hull F.C. players Military personnel from Kingston upon Hull Recipients of the Military Cross Rugby league players from Kingston upon Hull Rugby league wingers Schoolteachers from Yorkshire York Wasps players 20th-century English sportsmen