Lance Sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is a military appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal ...

John Harold Rhodes VC DCM & Bar (17 May 1891 – 27 November 1917) was a

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 ...

soldier and 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 ...

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

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.

Early life

Rhodes was born on 17 May 1891 in England in

Packmoor Packmoor is a village on the northern edge of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is located between Kidsgrove and Chell. History Packmoor consisted of farmhouses and farmland until the early 20th century. The first housing developmen ...

, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of an ex-soldier and miner, Ernie Rhodes. He was educated in Newchapel and later became a miner at the Chatterley Whitfield Colliery. Around 1910, however, he joined the

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

of the

and served for three years, after which he returned to the colliery.

First World War

On the outbreak of 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 ...

, John was recalled to the

forces In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the magnitude and directi ...

as a reservist. Now 26 years old, and a Lance-Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, British Army during the First World War John won the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military ...

on 17 May 1915 and three months later was awarded a

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

to this medal. While back in England recovering from his wounds, John married Lizzie but was not destined to live to see their son, John Rhodes (who, as an artilleryman, was himself awarded the Oak Leaves for gallantry in Northwestern Europe in 1944), Back on the front-line, the following deed took place at the

Battle of Poelcapelle The Battle of Poelcappelle was fought in Flanders, Belgium, on 9 October 1917 by the British Second Army and Fifth Army against the German 4th Army, during the First World War. The battle marked the end of the string of highly successful Briti ...

for which John was awarded the VC and also the Croix De Guerre: He was killed in action at Fontaine-Notre-Dame, France on 27 November 1917 and buried at

Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery is a war grave for mainly Commonwealth soldiers who died in the First World War. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield in the 1920s and contains the bodies of 2,046 people: 1,817 identified Commonwea ...

, Manancourt.CWGC entry
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Medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Grenadier Guards RHQ) in

Wellington Barracks Wellington Barracks is a military barracks in Westminster, central London, for the Foot Guards units on public duties in that area. The building is located about from Buckingham Palace, allowing the guard to be able to reach the palace very q ...

, London, England. A memorial plaque was unveiled at Chatterley Whitfield Mining Museum on 20 April 1984. There is also a road named in honour of John at nearby Tunstall. There is a memorial in Packmoor village on the Millennium Green outside Packmoor School which was unveiled in 2000.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhodes, John Harold 1891 births 1917 deaths Burials in Hauts-de-France People from Tunstall, Staffordshire British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Grenadier Guards soldiers British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at Rocquigny-Equancourt Road British Cemetery Military personnel from Stoke-on-Trent