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 ...

Robert Gee (7 May 1876 – 2 August 1960) was an English-Jewish 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 ...

and a Conservative Member of Parliament.

Biography

Born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

, Gee was orphaned when aged 9. He was sent to the

workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...

in Leicester, then to 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 c ...

Cottage Homes for orphaned children. He enlisted in the Army in 1893. Quartermaster-Serjeant Robert Gee was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 21 May 1915. 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 ...

in for his actions on the

first day on the Somme The first day on the Somme (1 July 1916) was the beginning of the Battle of Albert the name given by the British to the first two weeks of the Battle of the Somme () in the First World War. Nine corps of the French Sixth Army and the Britis ...

(1 July 1916); "For conspicuous gallantry in action. He encouraged his men during the attack by fearlessly exposing himself and cheering them on. When wounded he refused to retire, and urged his men on till, after being blown into the air by a shell, he was carried in half unconscious." Battle of Cambrial 1917 counter attack

He was 41 years old, and a temporary

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 2nd Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers,

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

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 ...

when he was awarded the Victoria Cross, 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, for his actions on 30 November 1917 at

Masnières Masnières () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Population Heraldry History Masnières figured into the 1917 Battle of Cambrai during which time it was briefly captured by the British on the first day of the battle, ...

and Les Rues Vertes, France, during a German counter attack in the

Battle of Cambrai (1917) The Battle of Cambrai (Battle of Cambrai, 1917, First Battle of Cambrai and ''Schlacht von Cambrai'') was a British attack in the First World War, followed by the biggest German counter-attack against the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sinc ...

: An attack by the enemy captured brigade headquarters and ammunition dump. Captain Gee, finding himself a prisoner, managed to escape and organised a party of the brigade staff with which he attacked the enemy, closely followed by two companies of infantry. He cleared the locality and established a defensive flank, then finding an enemy machine-gun still in action, with a revolver in each hand he went forward and captured the gun, killing eight of the crew. He was wounded, but would not have his wound dressed until the defence was organised. He later transferred to the Royal West Kent Regiment.

Post war

After the war, Gee went into politics. He first stood for

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

as a National Democratic Party candidate in the 1918 General Election at

Consett Consett is a town in the County Durham (district), County Durham district, in the ceremonial county of County Durham, Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in ...

, where he finished second. He then stood for

as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

in the

1921 Woolwich East by-election The 1921 Woolwich East by-election was a by-election, parliamentary by-election held on 2 March 1921 for the British House of Commons United Kingdom constituencies, constituency of Woolwich East (UK Parliament constituency), Woolwich East, in th ...

against

Ramsay MacDonald James Ramsay MacDonald (; 12 October 18669 November 1937) was a British statesman and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The first two of his governments belonged to the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, where he led ...

. A great deal of attention was given in the campaign to the contrast between Gee as a Victoria Cross holder and Macdonald as a pacifist who opposed the war. Gee won the seat which he held until the next general election the following year, when he lost to the Labour Party candidate. He stood unsuccessfully in the

1923 Newcastle-upon-Tyne East by-election The 1923 Newcastle-upon-Tyne East (UK Parliament constituency), Newcastle-upon-Tyne East by-election was held on 17 January 1923. The by-election was held due to the death of the incumbent Labour MP, Joseph Nicholas Bell. Electoral history ...

and in

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

in the

1923 United Kingdom general election The 1923 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 December 1923. The Conservative Party (UK), Conservatives, led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, won the most seats, but Labour Party (UK), Labour, led by Ramsay MacDonald, and H. ...

. He was elected MP for Bosworth at the 1924 general election. He became disillusioned with parliamentary life however, and he was reported to have been absent from his political duties for over a year at the time of his resignation in 1927, having emigrated to the backwoods of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

with no intention of returning.The Times, 24 March 1927 p9 The subsequent 1927 Bosworth by-election was a Liberal gain. He died in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, aged 84. He was cremated at the Karrakatta Crematorium. His VC is displayed at the Fusilier Museum in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

, England.

References

Sources

*"Elegant Extracts" - The Royal Fusiliers Recipients of the VC (J.P. Kelleher, 2001) *

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) * *

External links

Royal Fusiliers Recipients of the Victoria Cross
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gee, Robert 1876 births 1960 deaths 19th-century British Army personnel Recipients of the Military Cross British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of World War I Royal Fusiliers officers Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies National Democratic and Labour Party politicians UK MPs 1918–1922 UK MPs 1924–1929 Politicians from Leicester English emigrants to Australia Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment officers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at Karrakatta Cemetery English Jews Jewish British politicians 20th-century English politicians Military personnel from Leicester British emigrants to Australia

Biography

Post war

See also

References

Sources

External links