James Hewitson

He stormed the crater posts and silenced a machine-gun crew.

James Hewitson was born at Coniston on 15 October 1892. The son of a farm worker and coach driver, he attended the village school and worked as a timber feller before enlisting in the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment in November 1914. He later served with its 1/4th Battalion.

Years in the trenches brought repeated wounds, but Hewitson returned to duty. On 26 April 1918, near Givenchy, he took part in a daylight attack against a line of crater posts. Leading his party to its objective, he cleared trenches and dugouts, then saw a German machine-gun team preparing to fire on his men. Working around the crater’s edge, he attacked the crew, killing four and taking one prisoner. He subsequently intervened against another party threatening a Lewis-gun position.

His leadership and repeated attacks brought the Victoria Cross. Promoted corporal, he received the decoration from George V in France on 8 August 1918 and returned to a public welcome at Coniston.

He married Mary Elizabeth Dugdale in 1919, and they had a daughter. For about ten years he worked on road repairs, but the consequences of war increasingly affected his health. Long periods of psychiatric hospital treatment separated him from his family. His wife supported their household through washing and garden produce.

After treatment and an operation to remove shrapnel, Hewitson undertook practical outdoor work, including hedge cutting and gardening. He remained interested in travel and attended veterans’ reunions and the Victoria Cross centenary celebrations. A motorcycle he bought in 1926 later entered the Ruskin Museum’s collection.

Hewitson died at Ulverston on 2 March 1963 and was buried with military honours in St Andrew’s churchyard at Coniston. His story includes both exceptional battlefield leadership and the prolonged personal cost of surviving the war.

Official Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and daring action. In a daylight attack on a series of crater posts, L./Cpl. Hewitson led his party to their objective with dash and vigour, clearing the enemy from both trench and dug-outs, killing in one dug-out six of the enemy who would not surrender. After capturing the final objective, he observed a hostile machine-gun team coming into action against his men. Working his way round the edge of the crater he attacked the team, killing four and capturing one. Shortly afterwards he engaged a hostile bombing party, which was attacking a Lewis-gun post. He routed the party, killing six of them. The extraordinary feats of daring performed by this gallant N.C.O. crushed the hostile opposition at this point.

Sixth Supplement to The London Gazette of 25 June 1918. 28 June 1918, Numb. 30770, p. 7619