Joseph John Davies

Rallied isolated men and broke renewed enemy counterattacks.

Joseph John Davies was born in Tipton, Staffordshire, on 28 April 1889. After schooling at Great Bridge he worked in local industry before joining the Welsh Regiment in August 1909. He served in Egypt and India and reached France in January 1915. Wounds and transfers interrupted his first year on the Western Front. After garrison service at Gibraltar he joined the 10th Royal Welch Fusiliers in France in May 1916.

On 20 July 1916, during the fighting at Delville Wood, Corporal Davies and eight men became separated from their company. A renewed German counterattack surrounded the small party. Davies brought his men into a shell hole and organized a defence using rifle fire and grenades. They drove off the attackers; he then pursued retreating enemy soldiers with the bayonet. His determined response prevented the isolated position from collapsing and earned him the Victoria Cross.

King George V presented the cross at Buckingham Palace on 7 October 1916, pinning it to the sling supporting Davies's wounded arm. The Russian Cross of St George followed. His injuries prevented further front-line service and he served with the Military Provost Staff before discharge in December 1918. He married Elsie Thomas in 1919 and served again with the Herefordshire Regiment's Territorial Force from 1920 to 1922.

Davies subsequently worked as a commissionaire and at the Holton Heath cordite factory. During the Second World War he helped train the Poole Cadet Force and served as chief air raid warden at Oakdale. He died in Bournemouth on 16 February 1976 and was cremated. His medals are held by the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum at Caernarfon.

Official citation:

For most conspicuous bravery. Prior to an attack on the enemy in a wood he became separated with eight men from the rest of his company. When the enemy delivered their second counter attack his party was completely surrounded, but he got them into a shell-hole, and, by throwing bombs and opening rapid fire, succeeded in routing them. Not content with this he followed them up in their retreat and bayonetted several of them. Corporal Davies set a magnificent example of pluck and determination. He has done other very gallant work, and was badly wounded in the second Battle of Ypres.