James Firth

James Firth VC

James Firth was serving as a Sergeant in the 1st Battalion, The Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment during the Second Boer War when he performed the actions for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On 24 February 1900, during the action at Plewman’s Farm, near Arundel in Cape Colony, Lance-Corporal Blackman was wounded and left lying exposed under heavy fire at a range of roughly 400 to 500 yards. Sergeant Firth went forward, picked him up, and carried him to cover. Later the same day, when the enemy had advanced close to the British firing line, Second Lieutenant Wilson was dangerously wounded in an exposed position. Firth again went forward and carried Wilson over the crest of the ridge to shelter. While doing so, he was shot through the nose and eye.

Firth survived but lost an eye, and he wore an eye patch for the rest of his life. His Victoria Cross was gazetted on 11 June 1901, and he was invested by King Edward VII on 25 July 1901. Sources differ slightly on the exact palace location, with the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association recording St James’s Palace, while some later summaries give Marlborough House.

After leaving the Army, Firth returned to civilian life in Sheffield, where he worked as a foreman in the steel industry. He lived with his family in Wallace Road, Neepsend. At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, he attempted to rejoin the Army but was rejected on medical grounds.

After years of poor health, James Firth died of tuberculosis in Sheffield on 29 May 1921. He was buried in Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield. His medals were later sold at Spink on 20 October 1999, with his Victoria Cross and Queen’s South Africa Medal being acquired for the Ashcroft Collection.