Frank de Pass
| Frank Alexander De Pass | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
26 April 1887 Kensington, Middlesex, England |
| Died |
25 November 1914 (aged 27) Festubert, France |
| Buried | Bethune Town Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 |
| Service/ | British Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1906 - 1914 † |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit |
Royal Horse Artillery 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Frank Alexander de Pass VC (26 April 1887 – 25 November 1914) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the first person of the Jewish faith and the first officer of the Indian Army to receive the VC during World War I.
De Pass was born on 26 April 1887 to Eliot and Beatrice of Kensington, London. He attended Rugby School.[1] By the age of 27, he had attained the rank of Lieutenant in the 34th Prince Albert Victor's Own Poona Horse.
On 24 November 1914, de Pass entered a German sap near Festubert, France and destroyed a traverse in the face of the enemy's bombs. He also rescued, under heavy fire, a wounded man who was lying exposed to enemy bullets in the open. The next day, de Pass was killed in a second attempt to capture the sap, which the enemy had re-occupied. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross on 18 February 1915.[2] His Victoria Cross is displayed at the National Army Museum in Chelsea, London.[3]
See also
References
- National Army Museum
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
- ↑ De Pass, Frank Alexander, Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- ↑ "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1916. p. 1700.
- ↑ National Army Museum
