RaymondG
29th July 2008, 21:54
Hi
I thought members may like to hear the story of one of my heroes who was born in my home town. He is not a character from WWII, though I am using the tenuous link that he was in the Civil Defence!
Anyway, here is my eulogy to him and I hope that you find it interesting.
Fred Greaves
Fred Greaves is one of my heroes. Fred never scored a goal in an FA Cup Final, never broke a world record in athletics, nor starred in a movie and certainly never had a number one hit in the charts. He is one of my heroes and sadly I never had the privilege of knowing meeting him.
was born on May 16th, 1890 and was the oldest of twelve children. At the age of 13 he left school, and as was the norm in the area, he became a coal miner at Barlborough colliery in Derbyshire. In his late teens, Fred nearly died he was ran over by a coal truck, breaking both his legs and crushing his pelvis. He would spend the next two years in Chesterfield Hospital recovering from his injuries. After being released, he would have to visit the hospital regularly for treatment and instead of catching a bus he would walk the 9 miles to the hospital and make the trip back on foot afterwards.
Fred would carry the visible signs of the injuries for the rest of his life as his daughter told me how the bone in his leg had not set perfectly and left it protruding under his skin. Fred would bind it tightly to give him some relief from the discomfort and would continue this ritual for the rest of his life.
On his release from hospital, the doctor suggested that he take up cycling as part of his physiotherapy to rebuild his wasted muscles. Fred took up this advice and joined the Sheffield Cycling Club and excelled as a sportsman despite his injuries. In 1914, he was the Derbyshire champion over 50 and 100 miles and would often cycle to Skegness and back in a day. To put this into perspective, Skegness is over 70 miles from his home.
In 1914, like many others, Fred volunteered for service in the army with his brother alongside him, but because of his injuries, Fred was rejected and his brother was accepted, leaving Fred unable to do his duty for his country.
Fred was finally accepted into the army on February 26th, 1915, becoming a private in the 9th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters and in the same year fought in the Gallipoli campaign from July 20th, 1915. From there, he was posted to Egypt from February 1916 and then his regiment set sail for France. He arrived on the Western Front in July 1916 with the rank of corporal.
On October 4th, 1917, Fred was at fighting at Poecapelle, east of Ypres, Belgium in the Battle of Broodseinde and something remarkable happened for which he would be remembered the decades to come.
Here is the extract from The London Gazette in 1917:
For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and leadership, when his platoon was temporarily held up by machine-gun fire from a concrete stronghold. Seeing that his platoon commander and serjeant were casualties, and- realising that unless this post was taken quickly his men would lose the barrage, Cpl. Greaves, followed by another non-commissioned officer, rushed forward regardless of his personal safety, reached the rear of the building and bombed the occupants, killing or capturing the garrison, and taking four enemy machine-guns.
It was solely due to the personal pluck, dash and initiative of this non-commissioned officer that the assaulting line at this point was not held up, and that our troops escaped serious casualties.”
If this was not enough for most men, Fred’s bravery had not ended for the day
“Later in the afternoon, at a most critical period of the battle, when the troops of a flank brigade had given way temporarily under a heavy counter-attack and when all the officers in his company were casualties, this gallant non-commissioned officer quickly grasped the situation. He collected his men, threw out extra posts on the threatened flank, and opened up rifle and machine-gun fire to enfilade the advance.
The effect of Cpl. Greaves' conduct on his men throughout the battle cannot be overestimated, and those under his command responded gallantly to his example.”
After the battle, Fred, as modest as ever, penned a note to his mother “I know that I am up for something for the big push, although I only took an enemy strong point and captured guns. I keep smiling and I just do my duty and look after my position.”
On January 18th, 1918, Corporal Fred Greaves took the train to London at the request of the King and was presented with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace.
As his tunic was beyond repair, he travelled to London in his civilian clothes. A lady sat opposite Fred and dropped a white feather on his lap. When asked what he said to her, he replied that he simply smiled at her. He never offered the reason for his civilian attire.
Another story his daughter retold to me was at the annual gathering of VC winners, Fred was in a taxi and was nearing Buckingham Palace. The cab driver asked which entrance he would like to be dropped at. His daughter remembers his father saying “Any entrance will do” The driver looked around to see Fred readying himself for his appointment at the Palace by putting on his medals. “That’s the Victoria Cross”, the driver said, “You’re definitely going in the main entrance, mate!”
After the armistice of 1918, Fred went back to work as a miner at Barlborough. In 1938, he was awarded the Order of Jerusalem from the St. John’s Ambulance for his efforts in the aftermath of the pit disaster which claimed 79 lives. His daughter said of the time, “We got a call in the middle of the night to say there was a problem at the pit and we never saw him again for about a week. He worked tirelessly digging people out and helping the injured.”
Fred had carried a souvenir around with him from his time on the Western Front, a bullet in the back of his thigh. One day, whilst he was down the pit, he was climbing into a coal wagon and he winced. His friends thought he was joking when he said “Ouch, that’s my bullet” The bullet has slowly made its way to the surface of the skin, 36 years after embedding itself. Later that day Fred has it removed without any fuss.
In World War II, he served in the Civil Defence and in 1955 retired as a Pit Safety Officer, spending his days with his family, and continuing his past times of gardening and fishing.
Fred Greaves died on 8th June, 1973 and he is buried at Brimington cemetery. After his death, his VC was presented to the Sherwood Foresters and can be viewed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum in Nottingham.
Fred was the first winner of the VC in Derbyshire. The way he lived his life, his morals and the way he conducted himself was, and still is, an inspiration to me. He was humble, a devout family man who shunned attention and just like to be with his family and enjoy a bit of fishing. He triumphed over early adversity when he was hospitalised for two years. After this serious setback he went on to become the county cycling endurance champion and then gallantly risked his life to save his comrades in World War I.
Hi daughter Hazel often says of his father, “He is my hero” and he is mine too. He hails from the same small, predominately working class industrialised town as myself and in my eyes, he is our greatest son.
To that end I am currently petitioning the council to recognise his achievements and have a road named in his honour. I am facing a wall of silence and so I plan to visit my MP and pass on this article about him. I hope he can see the merit in my quest. I think it is the least that can be done for a real hero in the truest sense of the word.
I thought members may like to hear the story of one of my heroes who was born in my home town. He is not a character from WWII, though I am using the tenuous link that he was in the Civil Defence!
Anyway, here is my eulogy to him and I hope that you find it interesting.
Fred Greaves
Fred Greaves is one of my heroes. Fred never scored a goal in an FA Cup Final, never broke a world record in athletics, nor starred in a movie and certainly never had a number one hit in the charts. He is one of my heroes and sadly I never had the privilege of knowing meeting him.
was born on May 16th, 1890 and was the oldest of twelve children. At the age of 13 he left school, and as was the norm in the area, he became a coal miner at Barlborough colliery in Derbyshire. In his late teens, Fred nearly died he was ran over by a coal truck, breaking both his legs and crushing his pelvis. He would spend the next two years in Chesterfield Hospital recovering from his injuries. After being released, he would have to visit the hospital regularly for treatment and instead of catching a bus he would walk the 9 miles to the hospital and make the trip back on foot afterwards.
Fred would carry the visible signs of the injuries for the rest of his life as his daughter told me how the bone in his leg had not set perfectly and left it protruding under his skin. Fred would bind it tightly to give him some relief from the discomfort and would continue this ritual for the rest of his life.
On his release from hospital, the doctor suggested that he take up cycling as part of his physiotherapy to rebuild his wasted muscles. Fred took up this advice and joined the Sheffield Cycling Club and excelled as a sportsman despite his injuries. In 1914, he was the Derbyshire champion over 50 and 100 miles and would often cycle to Skegness and back in a day. To put this into perspective, Skegness is over 70 miles from his home.
In 1914, like many others, Fred volunteered for service in the army with his brother alongside him, but because of his injuries, Fred was rejected and his brother was accepted, leaving Fred unable to do his duty for his country.
Fred was finally accepted into the army on February 26th, 1915, becoming a private in the 9th Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters and in the same year fought in the Gallipoli campaign from July 20th, 1915. From there, he was posted to Egypt from February 1916 and then his regiment set sail for France. He arrived on the Western Front in July 1916 with the rank of corporal.
On October 4th, 1917, Fred was at fighting at Poecapelle, east of Ypres, Belgium in the Battle of Broodseinde and something remarkable happened for which he would be remembered the decades to come.
Here is the extract from The London Gazette in 1917:
For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and leadership, when his platoon was temporarily held up by machine-gun fire from a concrete stronghold. Seeing that his platoon commander and serjeant were casualties, and- realising that unless this post was taken quickly his men would lose the barrage, Cpl. Greaves, followed by another non-commissioned officer, rushed forward regardless of his personal safety, reached the rear of the building and bombed the occupants, killing or capturing the garrison, and taking four enemy machine-guns.
It was solely due to the personal pluck, dash and initiative of this non-commissioned officer that the assaulting line at this point was not held up, and that our troops escaped serious casualties.”
If this was not enough for most men, Fred’s bravery had not ended for the day
“Later in the afternoon, at a most critical period of the battle, when the troops of a flank brigade had given way temporarily under a heavy counter-attack and when all the officers in his company were casualties, this gallant non-commissioned officer quickly grasped the situation. He collected his men, threw out extra posts on the threatened flank, and opened up rifle and machine-gun fire to enfilade the advance.
The effect of Cpl. Greaves' conduct on his men throughout the battle cannot be overestimated, and those under his command responded gallantly to his example.”
After the battle, Fred, as modest as ever, penned a note to his mother “I know that I am up for something for the big push, although I only took an enemy strong point and captured guns. I keep smiling and I just do my duty and look after my position.”
On January 18th, 1918, Corporal Fred Greaves took the train to London at the request of the King and was presented with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace.
As his tunic was beyond repair, he travelled to London in his civilian clothes. A lady sat opposite Fred and dropped a white feather on his lap. When asked what he said to her, he replied that he simply smiled at her. He never offered the reason for his civilian attire.
Another story his daughter retold to me was at the annual gathering of VC winners, Fred was in a taxi and was nearing Buckingham Palace. The cab driver asked which entrance he would like to be dropped at. His daughter remembers his father saying “Any entrance will do” The driver looked around to see Fred readying himself for his appointment at the Palace by putting on his medals. “That’s the Victoria Cross”, the driver said, “You’re definitely going in the main entrance, mate!”
After the armistice of 1918, Fred went back to work as a miner at Barlborough. In 1938, he was awarded the Order of Jerusalem from the St. John’s Ambulance for his efforts in the aftermath of the pit disaster which claimed 79 lives. His daughter said of the time, “We got a call in the middle of the night to say there was a problem at the pit and we never saw him again for about a week. He worked tirelessly digging people out and helping the injured.”
Fred had carried a souvenir around with him from his time on the Western Front, a bullet in the back of his thigh. One day, whilst he was down the pit, he was climbing into a coal wagon and he winced. His friends thought he was joking when he said “Ouch, that’s my bullet” The bullet has slowly made its way to the surface of the skin, 36 years after embedding itself. Later that day Fred has it removed without any fuss.
In World War II, he served in the Civil Defence and in 1955 retired as a Pit Safety Officer, spending his days with his family, and continuing his past times of gardening and fishing.
Fred Greaves died on 8th June, 1973 and he is buried at Brimington cemetery. After his death, his VC was presented to the Sherwood Foresters and can be viewed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum in Nottingham.
Fred was the first winner of the VC in Derbyshire. The way he lived his life, his morals and the way he conducted himself was, and still is, an inspiration to me. He was humble, a devout family man who shunned attention and just like to be with his family and enjoy a bit of fishing. He triumphed over early adversity when he was hospitalised for two years. After this serious setback he went on to become the county cycling endurance champion and then gallantly risked his life to save his comrades in World War I.
Hi daughter Hazel often says of his father, “He is my hero” and he is mine too. He hails from the same small, predominately working class industrialised town as myself and in my eyes, he is our greatest son.
To that end I am currently petitioning the council to recognise his achievements and have a road named in his honour. I am facing a wall of silence and so I plan to visit my MP and pass on this article about him. I hope he can see the merit in my quest. I think it is the least that can be done for a real hero in the truest sense of the word.