Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney

Before he was 26 years old, Private Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC, DCM, MM had survived wounds, gas, a court-martial and some of the fiercest fighting on the Western Front. Then, in September 1918, with German shells crashing around his battalion near the Drocourt-Quéant Line, Nunney deliberately went forward through the barrage, moving from post to post to steady the men. It was the final chapter in an extraordinary combat career that had already earned him two major gallantry awards. Canada Nunney's early life was almost as remarkable as his military service. Later Canadian military papers recorded that he had been born in Dublin on 24 December 1892, but subsequent research and memorial evidence identify him as Stephen Sargent Claude Nunney, born at St Leonards-on-Sea, Hastings, England, on 19 July 1892. As a boy he was sent to Canada as a British Home Child and eventually made his home in Glengarry County, Ontario. By the time the First World War transformed Europe, Canada had become the country from which he would go to war. Veterans Affairs Canada Nunney joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1915 and became service number 410935 in the 38th Battalion, Canadian Infantry. After service overseas, the battalion reached France in 1916. Nunney soon established a reputation for courage under fire, but the events of 1917 turned that reputation into an official record of gallantry. Library and Archives Canada At the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917, Nunney performed the action for which he received the Distinguished Conduct Medal. His section was effectively destroyed and Nunney himself was wounded in two places, yet he continued forward carrying his gun and ammunition. According to the official citation, he single-handedly stopped an attack by more than 200 enemy troops and remained on duty for another three days. The London Gazette praised his "exceptional fearlessness" and the outstanding work he continued to perform despite his wounds. His DCM citation was published in The London Gazette, Supplement No. 30234, 16 August 1917. The Gazette His courage did not end at Vimy. During fighting around Avion in June 1917, Nunney again distinguished himself. When his platoon officer was wounded, Nunney took responsibility for supervising patrols and outposts and continued carrying out his duties until relieved. When Private William Murray was wounded and stretcher-bearers were unavailable, Nunney helped treat and assist the wounded soldier. The surviving account behind his Military Medal credited him with displaying exceptional energy, strength and courage throughout the operation. The Military Medal was officially recorded in 1917, giving Nunney the unusual distinction of holding both the DCM and MM before the action that would make his name famous. East Sussex WW1 Nunney's military career was not a simple story of uninterrupted advancement. His battlefield performance brought promotion, and by June 1917 he had risen to Sergeant. In April 1918, however, he was court-martialled after striking a superior officer. He was convicted and reduced to Private. Two officers nevertheless testified on his behalf, with one describing him as one of the battalion's finest front-line fighting men, and his sentence was subsequently commuted in recognition of his previous service. The episode adds an important dimension to Nunney's story. The man who would receive the Victoria Cross only months later was not an idealized figure, but a complicated soldier whose extraordinary courage under fire was repeatedly demonstrated in combat. Library and Archives Canada Blog His defining moment came on 1 and 2 September 1918, during the Canadian assault against the formidable Drocourt-Quéant Line near Vis-en-Artois. On 1 September, as the 38th Battalion prepared to advance, German artillery opened a heavy barrage and enemy troops counter-attacked. Nunney was at company headquarters, but instead of remaining there he acted on his own initiative. He went forward through the barrage to the outpost line, moving from position to position and encouraging the soldiers by his personal example. The counter-attack was defeated and, in the words of his official citation, "a critical situation was saved." Canada The following day Nunney was again at the front of the attack. His Victoria Cross citation recorded that his speed and determination repeatedly placed him ahead of his comrades and that his fearless example helped drive the company toward its objectives. The citation concluded that he displayed the "highest degree of valour" until he was severely wounded. The award of the Victoria Cross was published posthumously in The London Gazette, No. 31067, 13 December 1918, with the official Canadian record carrying the publication as 14 December. Canada Nunney never lived to see the Victoria Cross that placed his name among Canada's most celebrated First World War soldiers. He died of his wounds on 18 September 1918, only sixteen days after the Drocourt-Quéant fighting, and was buried at Aubigny Communal Cemetery Extension in France. He was 25 years old. Veterans Affairs Canada records him as Private Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney, VC, DCM, MM, 38th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, service number 410935. Veterans Affairs Canada Claude Nunney's story remains compelling because his Victoria Cross was not an isolated moment of courage. Vimy Ridge had already brought the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Avion brought the Military Medal. Drocourt-Quéant brought the Victoria Cross and, ultimately, his death. From a British Home Child in rural Ontario to one of the Canadian Expeditionary Force's most highly decorated soldiers, Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC, DCM, MM left a record of repeated battlefield gallantry that was written not once, but three times into the official history of the First World War.