Lance-Sergeant J H Rhodes VC DCM & Bar


On 9 Oct 1917 near Houthulst Forest, east of Ypres, Lance-Sergeant Rhodes was in charge of a Lewis gun section covering the consolidation of the right front company. He accounted for several of the enemy with his rifle as well as the Lewis gun, and upon seeing 3 of the enemy leave a pill-box he went alone through our barrage, and through hostile machine-gun fire, and got into the pill-box. There he captured 9 Germans, including a forward observation officer connected by telephone to his battery. Lance-Sergeant Rhodes brought back these prisoners together with valuable information.

John Harold Rhodes was born in Packmoor, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on 17 May 1891. He was in the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards and won the VC for his bravery. He was also awarded the DCM twice. Sadly he was killed on 27 Nov 1917 at Fontaine Ntre-Dame, the day after his VC award was published in the London Gazette.


Regimental details | Soldiers


Armed Forces | Art and Culture | Articles | Biographies | Colonies | Discussion | Glossary | Home | Library | Links | Map Room | Sources and Media | Science and Technology | Search | Student Zone | Timelines | TV & Film | Wargames


by Stephen Luscombe