Private Eric Anderson VC (15 September 1915 – 6 April 1943) was a British Army soldier and 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.
Eric Anderson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 September 1915 Bradford, West Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 6 April 1943 (aged 27) Wadi Akarit, French Tunisia |
| Buried | Sfax War Cemetery, Tunisia |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1940–1943 |
| Rank | Private |
| Service number | 4347754 |
| Unit | East Yorkshire Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Second World War |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
Early life
editHe 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
editAnderson was 27 years old, and a Private in the 5th Battalion, 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
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Casualty Details". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ a b Lister, Derek A J (2004). Bradford's Own. Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-3826-9.
- ^ a b c "VC Burials World-Wide – Tunisia". Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ a b "Yorkshire Regiment Museum". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ "No. 36110". The London Gazette (Supplement). 27 July 1943. p. 3421.
Further reading
edit- 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
- John, Laffin (1997). British VCs of World War 2: A Study in Heroism. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-1026-7.
- Whitworth, Alan (2012). Yorkshire VCs. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-84884-778-1.
External links
edit- Flickr images: Memorial to Eric Anderson and others at the Victoria Memorial, Bradford.