William Mariner (VC)
William Mariner VC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 29 May 1882 Chorley, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 1 July 1916 (aged 34) Loos, France |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Service years | 1902 - 1916 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | King's Royal Rifle Corps |
| Conflicts | World War I † |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
William Mariner VC (29 May 1882 – 1 July 1916) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Early life
William Mariner was born the son of Alice Mariner, who later married John Wignall. In 1900 he joined the Army, serving in India. He was twice court martialled, serving a prison sentence for striking an officer. In 1909 he was discharged and returned to Manchester. He had another civilian conviction in that city.[1]
On the outbreak of war in 1914, as an experienced reservist he was allowed to re-join his old regiment.
Details
Mariner was 32 years old, and a private in the 2nd Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
The citation for the award, published in the London Gazette on 23 June 1915, read:
No. 2052 Private William Mariner, 2nd Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps.
During a violent thunderstorm on the night of 22nd May, 1915, he left his trench near Cambrin, and crept out through the German wire entanglements till he reached the emplacement of a German machine gun which had been damaging our parapets and hindering our working parties.
After climbing on the top of the German parapet he threw a bomb in under the roof of the gun emplacement and- heard some groaning and the enemy running away. After about a quarter of an hour he heard some of them coming back again, and climbed up on the other side of the emplacement and threw another bomb among them left-handed. He then lay still while the Germans opened a heavy fire on the wire entanglement behind him, and it was only after about an hour that he was able to crawl back to his own trench.
Before starting out he had requested a serjeant to open fire on the enemy's trenches as soon as he had thrown his bombs. Rifleman Mariner was out alone for one and a half hours carrying out this gallant work.[2]
Death
William Mariner was killed on the evening of 30 June 1916 or the early morning of 1 July 1916 during a large scale raid in the Railway Triangle, south of Loos. This raid was a diversionary attack on the eve of the Somme offensive. His death was witnessed by Giles E. M. Eyre and others who wrote "that Mariner seemed to lose control during a heavy bombardment, ran down an enemy trench and was last seen bayoneting a German as a shell exploded on him, blowing him to pieces."[3][4]
Medal
In late 2005, during a house clearance of the property of William Wignall, the Victoria Cross medal was found in a drawer, without any campaign medals.[5] The following year William Mariner's cross was sold by his relatives at auction for £120,750.[6]
References
- ^ Best, B. The Victoria Cross in 100 Objects. The Story of Britain's Highest Award For Valour 2021 pp124-5 ISBN 1526730766
- ^ "No. 29202". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 June 1915. p. 6116.
- ^ "William Mariner VC". victoriacross.org.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
- ^ "Somme Harvest". Military History Forum. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
- ^ https://victoriacrossonline.co.uk/william-mariner-vc/
- ^ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/long-lost-vc-sells-for-120k-650558
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- VCs of the First World War - The Western Front 1915 (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)
