Albert Mountain

Held a Flank Post for 27 Hours Against Relentless Enemy Fire

Albert Mountain served as a sergeant in the British Army during the First World War. Educated at Saville Green School on York Road in Leeds, he joined the Leeds Bantams in August 1914 before transferring to the Leeds Pals. The battalions amalgamated as the 15th/17th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, on 7 December 1917. His Victoria Cross action took place at Hamelincourt, France, on 26 March 1918, during the German advance on the Western Front.

When his company's position became critical, Mountain led ten men in a counterattack against an enemy patrol of about 200. He used a Lewis gun against the advancing troops, then rallied his men to protect the withdrawal of the company and its prisoners. Mountain and four others held off a much larger enemy force for half an hour before rejoining their company.

He subsequently took command of an exposed battalion flank post. The defenders remained there for 27 hours before being surrounded. These actions earned him the Victoria Cross, announced in The London Gazette on 7 June 1918.

After the war, Mountain became a publican. He was landlord of the Miners Arms in Garforth from 1953 until his death on 7 January 1967. His family donated his Victoria Cross to the regimental museum in York that year. On 26 March 2018, relatives, soldiers and local representatives gathered in Garforth to unveil a commemorative paving stone marking the centenary of his action.

Official Victoria Cross citation, The London Gazette, 7 June 1918, page 6776

“For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during an enemy attack, when his company was in an exposed position on a sunken road, having hastily dug themselves in. Owing to the intense artillery fire, they were obliged to vacate the road and fall back. The enemy in the meantime was advancing in mass preceded by an advanced patrol about 200 strong. The situation was critical, and volunteers for a counter-attack were called for. Sjt. Mountain immediately stepped forward, and his party of ten men followed him. He then advanced on the flank with a Lewis gun and brought enfilade fire to bear on the enemy patrol, killing about 100.

In the meantime the remainder of the Company made a frontal attack, and the entire enemy patrol was cut up and thirty prisoners taken.

At this time the enemy main body appeared and the men, who were numerically many times weaker than the enemy, began to waver.

Sjt. Mountain rallied and organised his party and formed a defensive position from which to cover the retirement of the rest of the Company and the prisoners. With this party of one Non-commissioned Officer and four men he successfully held at bay 600 of the enemy for half an hour, eventually retiring and rejoining his Company.

He then took command of the flank post of the Battalion which was ‘in the air,’ and held on there for 27 hours until finally surrounded by the enemy.

Sjt. Mountain was one of the few who managed to fight their way back.

His supreme fearlessness and initiative undoubtedly saved the whole situation.”