Allan Leonard Lewis
English soldier (1895–1918); recipient of the Victoria Cross
Allan Leonard Lewis VC (28 February 1895 – 21 September 1918) 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.
Details
Lewis was born in Herefordshire, but moved to South Wales to find work. On the outbreak of the First World War he was employed by the Great Western Railway as a bus driver at Neath. he joined up in March 1915. The GWR has no record of Lewis on its Rolls of Honour or War memorials, and it may be that he joined up without the company's agreement, and thus lost his post and pension rights. By September 1918 he was 23 years old, and a lance-corporal in the 6th Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment, British Army during the same war when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
On 18 September 1918 at Rossnoy, near Lempire, France, Lance-Corporal Lewis was in command of a section on the right of the attacking line, held up by intense machine-gun fire. He saw that two guns were enfilading the line and crawled forward alone, successfully bombed the guns and by rifle fire made the whole team surrender. On 21 September he rushed his company through the enemy barrage, but was killed while getting his men under cover from heavy machine-gun fire.
Further information
Lance-Corporal Lewis is remembered on the Vis-en-Artois memorial near Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt as he has no known grave.
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