John Williams (VC)

Breaking hospital walls, he helped trapped men reach safety.

John Williams was born John Fielding at Abergavenny on 24 May 1857, the son of Michael Fielding, a gardener, and Margaret, née Godsil. His family moved to Cwmbran, where he began work at the Patent Nut and Bolt Works as a child. In January 1877 he enlisted in the Royal Monmouth Militia under the name John Williams and transferred to the 24th Regiment that May.

He sailed for South Africa with the 2nd Battalion in February 1878 and served in the Galeka campaign before the invasion of Zululand. During the defence of Rorke's Drift on 22–23 January 1879, he was stationed in the hospital. As attackers broke into the building and the roof burned, he worked with Henry Hook to make openings through the internal walls. They moved patients from room to room towards escape, alternately holding off the attackers and carrying the helpless men through the breaches. Their actions saved wounded patients who otherwise could not have left the hospital.

His Victoria Cross was presented at Gibraltar on 28 February 1880. He subsequently served in India, entered the reserve in 1883 and returned to industrial work at Cwmbran. In April 1884 he married Elizabeth Murphy. Their family included three sons and two daughters; his son Thomas was killed serving with the South Wales Borderers in September 1914.

Williams also served as a volunteer sergeant. Aged fifty-seven, he enlisted again in December 1914 and worked on the depot staff at Brecon, later serving in a home employment company of the Labour Corps. Discharged in 1920, he retired from civilian work in 1922. He died at Cwmbran on 25 November 1932 and was buried with military honours at Llantarnam.