Abraham Acton

Abraham Acton
Born (1893-12-17)17 December 1893
Whitehaven, Cumberland, United Kingdom
Died 16 May 1915(1915-05-16) (aged 21)
Festubert, France
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1914–1915
Rank Private
Unit The Border Regiment
Battles/wars World War I
Awards Victoria Cross

Abraham Acton VC (17 December 1893 – 16 May 1915) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Acton was born on 17 December 1893 to Robert and Elizabeth Eleanor Acton, of 4, Regent Square, Senhouse St., Whitehaven, Cumberland.[1]

He was 22 years old, and a private in the 2nd Battalion, The Border Regiment, British Army during the First World War. He and James Alexander Smith, were both awarded their Victoria Cross for their actions on 21 December 1914 at Rouges Bancs, France.

For conspicuous bravery on the 21st December, at Rouges-Bancs, in voluntarily going from his trench and rescuing a wounded man who had been lying exposed against the enemy's trenches for 75 hours; and on the same day again leaving his trench voluntarily, under heavy fire to bring into cover another wounded man. He was under fire for 60 minutes whilst conveying the wounded men into safety.[2]

He was killed in action at Festubert, France, on 16 May 1915, but his body was never found - he is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial.[3]

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Beacon, Whitehaven, Cumbria, England.

References

  1. ↑ Acton, Abraham, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  2. ↑ "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1916. p. 1700.
  3. ↑ Burial Location of Abraham Acton Archived 12 December 2004 at the Wayback Machine. France, victoriacross.org.uk
  • Location of Abraham Acton's Victoria Cross The Beacon, Whitehaven*
  • The Regimental Museum "The Border and King's Own Royal Border Regiment Museum Carlisle Castle". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.