John William Harper

Led his men over a wall and located a ford under heavy fire.

John William Harper VC was born on 6 August 1916 in the Doncaster area of Yorkshire. He grew up in Hatfield Woodhouse, the eldest of four children of George Ernest Harper and Florence (née Parkin). His family lived in Slay Pits Lane, and he attended the village school. After leaving school he worked with his father cutting peat on the surrounding moors.

He married Lily and made his home in nearby Thorne. Called into Army service in 1940, he joined the York and Lancaster Regiment and became a corporal in its 4th (Hallamshire) Battalion. By September 1944 he was leading an infantry section as Allied troops advanced through Belgium.

On 29 September the battalion attacked the Depot de Mendicite near Merksplas. Its German defenders occupied a position protected by an earthen wall and a deep dyke, with a clear field of fire across three hundred yards of flat, exposed ground. Harper led the foremost section through mortar and small-arms fire to the wall, where his men killed or captured the defenders on its near side.

When the platoon commander was seriously wounded, Harper assumed command. He crossed the wall alone, using grenades to drive back the Germans beyond it and taking four prisoners. Returning over the wall, he then crossed again to examine the dyke, finding it too deep and wide for his men to wade.

Ordered to establish his platoon beyond the wall, he climbed over a third time. From abandoned German weapon pits he provided covering fire and encouraged his men to follow. His actions enabled the rest of the company to cross the exposed ground and pass the wall with the loss of only one man during that movement.

Harper left his senior section commander in charge and searched along the dyke for a crossing. He contacted the battalion on his right and learned that it had found a ford. While directing his company commander to the ford, he was fatally wounded by a bullet and died beside the dyke. He was twenty-eight.

His posthumous Victoria Cross was announced on 2 January 1945. The official citation credited his leadership and self-sacrifice with helping the battalion drive the enemy from the wall and across the dyke. He is buried at Leopoldsburg War Cemetery in Belgium, Plot V, Row B, Grave 15.

Official Victoria Cross citation The London Gazette, issue 36870, Fifth Supplement, 2 January 1945, pages 139-140.

War Office, 2nd January, 1945.

The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the posthumous award of the VICTORIA CROSS to:

No. 4751678 Corporal John William Harper, The York and Lancaster Regiment (Doncaster).

In North-West Europe, on 29th September, 1944, the Hallamshire Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment attacked the Depot de Mendicite, a natural defensive position surrounded by an earthen wall, and then a dyke, strongly held by the enemy.

Corporal Harper was commanding the leading section in the assault. The enemy were well dug in and had a perfect field of fire across 300 yards of completely flat and exposed country. With superb disregard for the hail of mortar bombs and small arms fire which the enemy brought to bear on this open ground, Corporal Harper led his section straight up to the wall and killed or captured the enemy holding the near side.

During this operation the platoon commander was seriously wounded and Corporal Harper took over control of the platoon.

As the enemy on the far side of the wall were now throwing grenades over the top, Corporal Harper climbed over the wall alone, throwing grenades, and in the face of heavy, close range small arms fire, personally routed the Germans directly opposing him. He took four prisoners and shot several of the remainder of the enemy as they fled.

Still completely ignoring the heavy spandau and mortar fire, which was sweeping the area, once again he crossed the wall alone to find out whether it was possible for his platoon to wade the dyke which lay beyond. He found the dyke too deep and wide to cross, and once again he came back over the wall and received orders to try and establish his platoon on the enemy side of it. For the third time he climbed over alone, found some empty German weapon pits, and providing the covering fire urged and encouraged his section to scale the wall and dash for cover. By this action he was able to bring down sufficient covering fire to enable the rest of the company to cross the open ground and surmount the wall for the loss of only one man.

Corporal Harper then left his platoon in charge of his senior section commander and walked alone along the banks of the dyke, in the face of heavy spandau fire, to find a crossing place. Eventually he made contact with the battalion attacking on his right, and found that they had located a ford. Back he came across the open ground, and, whilst directing his company commander to the ford, he was struck by a bullet which fatally wounded him and he died on the bank of the dyke.

The success of the battalion in driving the enemy from the wall and back across the dyke must be largely ascribed to the superb self sacrifice and inspiring gallantry of Corporal Harper. His magnificent courage, fearlessness and devotion to duty throughout the battle set a splendid example to his men and had a decisive effect on the course of the operations.