Sidney William Ware

He walked back into enemy fire again and again, carrying wounded comrades to safety while the battle raged around him.

Corporal Sidney William Ware VC was born on 11 November 1892 at Whatcombe, Winterborne Whitechurch, Dorset, England. He enlisted in the British Army on 29 November 1911 and served with the 1st Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders. Stationed in India when the First World War began, he accompanied his battalion to France in October 1914, where he experienced frontline fighting and was wounded that November.

His battalion subsequently transferred to Mesopotamia, where Ware again faced severe fighting. On 6 April 1916, during the Battle of Sanna-i-Yat, British troops were ordered to withdraw into a communication trench. Ware was among the few men who remained unwounded. Instead of seeking shelter, he carried a wounded soldier approximately 200 yards to safety before repeatedly returning to rescue others. For more than two hours, he moved through intense enemy fire until he had brought in the wounded and was completely exhausted.

For this extraordinary courage, Ware was awarded the Victoria Cross. His official citation appeared in the London Gazette on 26 September 1916, Issue 29765, page 9418.

Tragically, Ware was seriously wounded on 10 April 1916, just four days after his remarkable rescue action. He died of his wounds on 16 April 1916 at Rawalpindi Hospital near Basra and was buried at Amara War Cemetery in Iraq. His Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously, and his parents received the decoration from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 28 February 1917.

Ware's courage remains a powerful example of a soldier placing the lives of his comrades above his own survival.