273:, during a strong counter-attack Sergeant Colley's company was holding an advanced position with two platoons in advance and two in support. The forward platoons were ordered to hold on at all costs and Sergeant Colley went, without orders, to help these two platoons. He rallied the men, then formed a defensive flank and held it, although out of the two platoons only three men remained unwounded and the sergeant himself was dangerously wounded and died the same day. It was entirely due to his action that the enemy was prevented from breaking through.
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297:. On 25 August 2018, the centenary of his death, a commemorative paving stone in his honour was unveiled in Smethwick.
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238:, where they can be found at 74 Cheshire Road. This remained his home address during the First World War,
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210:, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
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361:"Sgt. Harold John Colley VC MM British Army 10th Btn. Lancashire Fusiliers"
289:. Colley is the subject of a bronze memorial plaque in the vestibule of
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when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
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Burials in
Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries in France
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874:
British World War I recipients of the
Victoria Cross
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402:"10th Bn, XX The Lancashire Fusiliers 1915 to 1919"
230:of Birmingham, England. The family moved to nearby
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899:Military personnel from Birmingham, West Midlands
879:British military personnel killed in World War I
350:Birth Certificate at Birmingham Register Office
894:British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
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432:(Supplement). 18 October 1918. p. 12488.
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202:(26 May 1895 – 25 August 1918) was an
16:English Victoria Cross recipient (1895-1918)
889:Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry soldiers
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539:Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)
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281:His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
246:Colley was 24 years old, and an acting
226:He was born at 60 Winson Street in the
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869:British Army personnel of World War I
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391:. Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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444:"H. J. Colley V.C., M.M. Memorial"
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153:Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
884:Recipients of the Military Medal
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638:Edward Elers Delaval Henderson
523:Royal Northumberland Fusiliers
367:. The Wartime Memories Project
365:www.wartimememoriesproject.com
1:
864:Lancashire Fusiliers soldiers
531:Royal Warwickshire Regiment
509:Royal Regiment of Fusiliers
915:
313:VCs of the First World War
307:Gliddon, Gerald (2014) .
30:
823:Francis Arthur Jefferson
718:Charles Graham Robertson
708:Frederick William Palmer
252:The Lancashire Fusiliers
157:The Lancashire Fusiliers
783:Bernard Matthew Cassidy
758:William Stephen Kenealy
291:Smethwick Council House
250:in the 10th Battalion,
818:James Neville Marshall
753:Alfred Joseph Richards
748:Richard Raymond Willis
653:Neville Elliott-Cooper
446:. War Memorials Online
404:. Lancashire Fusiliers
234:sometime prior to the
859:People from Smethwick
723:Walter Napleton Stone
643:Thomas Elsdon Ashford
618:Robert Edwin Phillips
265:On 25 August 1918 at
773:Bertram Best-Dunkley
678:Henry Mitchell Jones
658:Charles FitzClarence
628:Julian Royds Gribble
568:James Bulmer Johnson
547:Lancashire Fusiliers
309:Road to Victory 1918
92:Mailly Wood Cemetery
738:Frank Edward Stubbs
663:Thomas Egerton Hale
803:Harold John Colley
469:Harold John Colley
429:The London Gazette
389:Harold John Colley
194:Harold John Colley
25:Harold John Colley
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668:William Hope
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603:Wilfred Wood
588:Thomas Bryan
583:Ernest Sykes
516:Predecessors
473:Find a Grave
448:. Retrieved
438:
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406:. Retrieved
396:
369:. Retrieved
364:
355:
308:
301:Bibliography
280:
264:
256:British Army
245:
225:
216:Commonwealth
193:
192:
163:Battles/wars
133:British Army
72:(1918-08-25)
57:Warwickshire
18:
849:1918 deaths
844:1895 births
633:Arthur Hutt
550:(1688–1968)
542:(1685–1968)
534:(1685–1968)
526:(1674–1968)
424:"No. 30967"
267:Martinpuich
258:during the
236:1911 Census
167:World War I
77:Martinpuich
50:26 May 1895
838:Categories
683:Robert Gee
608:Jack Youll
335:References
222:Early life
104:Allegiance
53:Birmingham
46:1895-05-26
763:John Lynn
232:Smethwick
295:Bearwood
248:sergeant
218:forces.
143:Serjeant
122:Service/
98:, France
408:16 June
371:5 April
212:British
204:English
61:England
450:12 May
323:
277:Legacy
271:France
173:Awards
124:branch
113:
87:Buried
81:France
452:2021
410:2018
373:2018
321:ISBN
214:and
149:Unit
139:Rank
67:Died
40:Born
471:at
840::
426:.
381:^
363:.
343:^
319:.
315:.
311:.
285:,
269:,
254:,
200:MM
197:VC
94:,
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55:,
501:e
494:t
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412:.
375:.
329:.
48:)
44:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
