Harry Cator

A lone Lewis gun helped turn a stalled assault into capture.

Harry Cator enlisted in the 7th (Service) Battalion, East Surrey Regiment, on 3 September 1914, the day after his wedding. He reached France in 1915 and served as a sergeant with the 37th Brigade, 12th Division, including near Armentières and the Hohenzollern Redoubt. At the Somme in 1916, he helped bring 36 men stranded in German wire back to safety, earning the Military Medal. He declined a commission and remained with his men.

On 9 April 1917, during the Battle of Arras, machine-gun fire inflicted severe losses on his platoon near Monchy-le-Preux. Cator and a companion crossed open ground to attack the position. When the other man was killed, Cator pressed on alone, took up a Lewis gun, reached the hostile trench and silenced a second machine-gun team. He brought back an officer’s papers and held the trench, allowing a bombing party to advance. The action enabled the capture of 100 prisoners and five machine guns. He was awarded the Victoria Cross and presented with it by King George V on 21 July 1917. Three days after the action, a shell wounded him severely, fracturing both jaws and injuring his shoulder.

After the war, Cator worked as a shoe repairer, postman and civil servant. During the Second World War he served as a captain quartermaster in the 6th Battalion, Norfolk Home Guard, and later commanded Cranwich prisoner-of-war camp. He returned to civil service and served in the Territorial Army until 1951. He died in 1966.

Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Whilst consolidating the first line captured system his platoon suffered severe casualties from hostile machine-gun and rifle fire. In full view of the enemy and under heavy fire Sergeant Cator, with one man, advanced to cross the open to attack the hostile machine gun. The man accompanying him was killed after going a short distance, but Sergeant Cator continued on and picking up a Lewis gun and some drums on his way succeeded in reaching the northern end of the hostile trench. Meanwhile, one of our bombing parties was seen to be held up by a machine gun. Sergeant Cator took up a position from which he sighted this gun and killed the entire team and the officer whose papers he brought in. He then held on to the trench until our bombing party was able to advance and capture the position.