Eric Anderson (VC)

Eric Anderson
Born (1915-09-15)15 September 1915
Bradford, West Yorkshire, England
Died 6 April 1943(1943-04-06) (aged 27)
Wadi Akarit, Tunisia
Buried Sfax War Cemetery, Tunisia
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  British Army
Years of service 1940–1943
Rank Private
Unit East Yorkshire Regiment
Awards Victoria Cross

Eric Anderson VC (15 September 1915 – 6 April 1943) 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.

Early life

He was born in Fagley in Bradford, West Yorkshire, the only son of George and Mary Anderson.[1] He became a driver for a building and contracting firm in Idle, West Yorkshire.[2]

Service

Anderson was 27 years old, and a Private in the 5th Battalion, The East Yorkshire Regiment, British Army during the Second World War[1][3][4] when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.[1][4]

On 6 April 1943 on the Wadi Akarit, Tunisia, when a company of The East Yorkshire Regiment had to withdraw temporarily behind the crest of a hill, Private Anderson, a stretcher-bearer, went forward alone through heavy fire to rescue the wounded. Three times he brought in wounded comrades, and was rendering first aid to a fourth when he was mortally wounded.[5]

He is buried in Sfax War Cemetery in southern Tunisia.[1][2][3] His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Prince of Wales Own Regiment of Yorkshire Museum in York.[3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
  2. 1 2 Lister, Derek A J (2004). Bradford's Own. Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-3826-9.
  3. 1 2 3 "VC Burials World-Wide - Tunisia". Retrieved 2011-06-28.
  4. 1 2 "Yorkshire Regiment Museum". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-28.
  5. ↑ "No. 36110". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 July 1943. p. 3421.

Further reading

  • Harvey, David (1999). Monuments to Courage: Victoria Cross Headstones and Memorials. Vol. 1, 1854–1916
  • Buzzell, Nora (1997), This England, 3rd Edn., 352pp, ISBN 0-906324-27-0

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