George Stanley Peachment VC

Name: George Stanley Peachment

Conflict: First World War

Gazetted: November 18, 1915

Service: Army

Place/date of birth: Bury, Lancashire/May 5, 1897

Rank when awarded VC (and later highest rank):  Private

Date of bravery: September 25, 1915

London Gazette citation:

R.11941 Private George Peachment, 2nd Battalion, The King’s Royal Rifle Corps.

For most conspicuous bravery near Hulluch on 25th September, 1915.

During very heavy fighting, when our front line was compelled to retire in order to re-organise, Private Peachment, seeing his Company Commander, Captain Dubs, lying wounded, crawled to assist him. The enemy’s fire was intense, but, though there was a shell hole quite close, in which a few men had taken cover, Private Peachment never thought of saving himself. He knelt in the open by his Officer and tried to help him, but while doing this he was first wounded by a bomb and a minute later mortally wounded by a rifle bullet. He was one of the youngest men in his battalion and gave this splendid example of courage and self-sacrifice.

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Other decorations: N/A

Place/date of death: Hulluch, France/September 25, 1915

Grave/memorials: Dud Corner Cemetery, Loos-en-Gohelle, France/Bury, Lancashire

Origin of VC to the Lord Ashcroft collection: Purchased at auction, Spink, London, 1996

Current location of VC: Displayed on rotation at The Lord Ashcroft Gallery: Extraordinary Heroes exhibition, Imperial War Museum