George Nurse (VC)

Helped recover abandoned field guns amid gunfire at Colenso.

George Edward Nurse was born in Enniskillen in 1873 and grew up in Guernsey, where his parents had family connections. He attended school on the island before enlisting in the Royal Artillery in January 1892. By the South African War he was a corporal in the 66th Battery, Royal Field Artillery.

At Colenso on 15 December 1899, British gun batteries suffered heavy casualties in exposed positions close to the Boer defences. Nurse was among the volunteers who tried to save the abandoned guns. Horses and equipment had to be brought forward across open ground while the enemy continued firing. Working with other rescuers, he helped limber up and bring away guns that otherwise would have been lost. Several of the men attempting the recovery were killed or wounded.

His Victoria Cross was announced on 2 February 1900 and was presented in South Africa during the campaign. The Queen's South Africa Medal with six clasps records his wider service there, including the relief of Ladysmith. He remained in the Army and served during the First World War, receiving a temporary commission in September 1915. His medal group includes the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal, an Army long service medal and the 1937 Coronation Medal.

Nurse married Kathleen and had a son, Charles. He spent his later years in Liverpool and died at Broadgreen Hospital on 25 November 1945. He was buried in Allerton Cemetery.