William Henry Johnson

He charged the guns alone, still leading despite his wounds.

William Henry Johnson was born at Worksop, Nottinghamshire, on 15 October 1890. A miner at Manton Colliery and a bell-ringer at Worksop Priory, he had an established place in the town before becoming a soldier. He married Gertrude Walton in 1909; their family included a son and two daughters.

He served with the 2/8th Sherwood Foresters, then the 2/5th Battalion, and finally the 1/5th Battalion. His service number was 306122. By the closing offensive of 1918 he was a sergeant. On 3 October his battalion attacked near Ramicourt, France, as the Allied advance pressed through the German defensive systems beyond the Hindenburg Line.

A nest of machine guns stopped his platoon at close range. Johnson worked forward through heavy fire, then rushed the position alone. He bayoneted several defenders and captured two guns. A grenade severely wounded him during the attack, but he continued leading the platoon instead of withdrawing for treatment.

The advance soon encountered another machine-gun position. Johnson again went forward single-handed. This time he used grenades against the defenders, silenced the guns and captured their crews. His official citation treats the two attacks as successive acts of leadership and concludes that he displayed “the most exceptional gallantry and devotion to duty” (London Gazette, 14 December 1918, issue 31067, page 14776; transcription https://vcgca.org/our-people/profile/830/William-Henry--JOHNSON).

He required operations in hospital at Trouville and subsequently suffered influenza. When his award was announced, his former fellow bell-ringers honoured him with a special peal. King George V presented his Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on 29 March 1919. The French Médaille militaire followed in 1920.

Johnson returned to colliery employment after the war. His neighbours also knew him through work as a publican, scoutmaster, cadet leader and British Legion organiser. The miners' presentation to him and his participation in local hospital and war-memorial events reflected continuing ties to the community from which he had enlisted.

He later lived at Retford and Arnold, worked for the Home Brewery and then John Player and Sons, and served in the Home Guard until ill health forced him to leave. He died at Arnold on 25 April 1945 and was buried with military honours in Redhill Cemetery, Nottingham. The museum display of his medals preserves the two machine-gun attacks alongside the civilian life he rebuilt afterwards.