Martin Doyle

He rescued surrounded men and seized the German machine gun.

Martin Doyle earned both the Victoria Cross and Military Medal for separate acts of courage in the First World War. His later service in Ireland carried him through two more conflicts.

Born on 25 October 1894 near New Ross, County Wexford, according to the VC and GC Association and Lord Ashcroft's family-informed research, Doyle enlisted in the Royal Irish Regiment in December 1909 as number 9962. He served in India, transferred to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers and reached France in December 1914. By 1918 he was serving with the 1st Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers.

On 24 March 1918, during the German Spring Offensive, Doyle led an attack on a fortified barn held by a German machine-gun crew near Hattenville. He captured the position and received the Military Medal. His award appeared in The London Gazette, issue 30897, supplement page 10763, dated 10 September 1918.

On 2 September 1918 near Riencourt, casualties among the officers left Acting Company Sergeant Major Doyle in command of his company. He led a rescue through enemy-held trenches and carried a wounded officer to safety under heavy fire. Later, he protected a British tank from enemy troops, rushed a machine-gun position alone, captured the gun and three prisoners, and carried another wounded man to safety. He rallied his men against a counterattack and captured further prisoners.

Doyle received the Victoria Cross for this leadership and bravery. The citation appears in The London Gazette, issue 31155, supplement page 1504, whose online record gives 28 January 1919 as its publication date; some later accounts describe the announcement as 31 January. King George V invested Doyle with the Victoria Cross and Military Medal at Buckingham Palace on 8 May 1919.

After demobilisation, Doyle joined the Irish Republican Army during the War of Independence. He then served in the pro-Treaty National Army during the Irish Civil War, was wounded in 1923, and continued in the Irish Defence Forces. He received the King George VI Coronation Medal in 1937. After regular service, he worked for Guinness in Dublin.

Doyle died on 20 November 1940 and was buried in Grangegorman Military Cemetery. His British campaign awards included the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.