William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle

Born in Chelsea, London, on 23 May 1909, William Philip Sidney was educated at Eton College and Magdalene College, Cambridge, before qualifying as a chartered accountant. He commenced his officer service on 22 June 1929 upon commissioning into the Supplementary Reserve of Officers of the Grenadier Guards as a second lieutenant, holding official army service number 42108. Following the outbreak of the Second World War, he mobilised with the 2nd Battalion, Grenadier Guards, taking part in the Battle of France and serving as an intelligence officer during the combat operations that preceded the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in June 1940. Promoted to temporary major, he transferred to the 5th Battalion, Grenadier Guards—a unit of the 24th Guards Infantry Brigade within the 1st Infantry Division—and deployed to North Africa prior to entering the Italian Campaign.

During the Allied amphibious assault at Anzio, Major Sidney commanded the 5th Battalion's support company. On the night of 7–8 February 1944, German forces launched heavy counter-attacks against the Carroceto-Buonriposo Ridge sector in an attempt to breach the perimeter. When enemy infantry penetrated the wadi near his company headquarters southwest of Carroceto Bridge, Sidney assembled a nearby three-inch mortar detachment and personally led a counter-assault with submachine guns and hand grenades, driving the enemy out of the gully. Establishing a defense along the gully edge, he repeatedly exposed himself to direct fire to engage enemy troops at point-blank range. After sending most of his men back for additional ammunition, Sidney held the position alongside two guardsmen. An enemy grenade bounced off his face and exploded, killing one soldier, wounding the other, and striking Sidney in the thigh. Wounded a second time in the thigh during a subsequent assault early the following morning, he mounted another grenade counter-attack alongside a fellow officer, maintaining the defensive line until reinforcements consolidated the position. He refused medical evacuation until after dark due to close enemy contact.

For his conduct at Anzio, Major Sidney was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military award for gallantry conferred upon him. On 3 March 1944 at Montesarchio, General Sir Harold Alexander decorated Sidney with a Victoria Cross ribbon cut directly from the tunic of his father-in-law, Field Marshal Viscount Gort, VC. His full official citation was published in the Supplement to The London Gazette on 30 March 1944:

"The KING has been graciously pleased to approve the award of the VICTORIA CROSS to:—

Captain (temporary Major) William Philip Sidney (42108), Grenadier Guards (Girvan).

For superb courage and utter disregard of danger in the action near Carroceto, in the Anzio Beach Head in February, 1944. The period 6th-10th February, 1944, was one of critical importance to the whole state of the Anzio Beach Head. The Germans attacked a British Division with elements of six different divisions and a continuous series of fierce local hand-to-hand battles was fought, each one of which had its immediate reaction on the position of other troops in the neighbourhood and on the action as a whole. It was of supreme importance that every inch of ground should be doggedly, stubbornly and tenaciously fought for. The area Carroceto-Buonriposo Ridge was particularly vital. During the night 7th-8th February, Major Sidney was commanding the support company of a battalion of the Grenadier Guards, company headquarters being on the left of battalion headquarters in a gully South-West of Carroceto Bridge. Enemy infantry who had by-passed the forward rifle company North-West of Carroceto, heavily attacked in the vicinity of Major Sidney’s company headquarters and successfully penetrated into the wadi. Major Sidney collected the crew of a 3 inch mortar firing nearby and personally led an attack with Tommy guns and hand grenades, driving the enemy out of the gully. He then sent the detachment back to continue their mortar firing while he and a handful of men took up a position on the edge of the gully in order again to beat off the enemy who were renewing their attack in some strength. Major Sidney and his party succeeded in keeping the majority of the Germans out but a number reached a ditch 20 yards in front, from which they could outflank Major Sidney’s position. This officer – in full view and completely exposed – dashed forward without hesitation to a point whence he could engage the enemy with his Tommy gun at point blank range. As a result the enemy withdrew, leaving a number of dead. On returning to his former position on the edge of the gully, Major Sidney kept two guardsmen with him and sent the remainder back for more ammunition and grenades. While they were away, the enemy vigorously renewed his attack, and a grenade struck Major Sidney in the face, bounced off and exploded, wounding him and one guardsman and killing the second man. Major Sidney, single-handed and wounded in the thigh, kept the enemy at bay until the ammunition party returned five minutes later, when once more they were ejected. Satisfied that no further attack could be made, he made his way to a nearby cave to have his wound dressed, but before this could be done the enemy attacked again. He at once returned to his post and continued to engage the enemy for another hour, by which time the left of the battalion position was consolidated and the enemy was finally driven off. Only then did Major Sidney, by that time weak from loss of blood and barely able to walk, allow his wound to be attended to. Throughout the next day contact with the enemy was so close that it was impossible to evacuate this officer until after dark. During that time, as before, although extremely weak, he continued to act as a tonic and inspiration to all with whom he came in contact. Throughout the engagement Major Sidney showed a degree of efficiency, coolness, gallantry and complete disregard for personal safety of a most exceptional order, and there is no doubt that as a result of his action, taken in the face of great odds, the battalion’s position was re-established with vitally far reaching consequences on the battle as a whole.”

In October 1944, Sidney entered parliamentary life after winning election as Member of Parliament for Chelsea. Following his father's death in June 1945, he succeeded as 6th Baron De L'Isle and Dudley, taking his seat in the House of Lords. He held political office as Secretary of State for Air from 1951 to 1955 and was elevated to a viscountcy in January 1956 as 1st Viscount De L'Isle. Appointed Governor-General of Australia in 1961, he served as head of state representative in Canberra until May 1965. During his vice-regal term, he was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1961 and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in 1963. In 1968, he was created a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG), standing alongside Field Marshal Earl Roberts as one of only two men in modern history awarded both the Victoria Cross and the Order of the Garter. He retained active military associations in later years, receiving the 1st Clasp to the Army Emergency Reserve Decoration in 1988. Viscount De L'Isle died at Penshurst Place, Kent, on 5 April 1991.