George Henry Prowse VC DCM

b. 29/08/1886 Gilfach Goch, Llantrisant, Wales. d. 27/09/1918 Anneux, France.

George Henry Prowse (1886-1918) was born on 29th August 1886 at 8 Brynsion Terrace (later 133 High Street), Gilfach Goch, Llantrisaint, Glamorgan, Wales. He was known as Harry. His father, John, was born in Maiden Bradley, Wiltshire. He married Harriett Grantham, born near Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire. She was a domestic servant prior to the marriage. John was a colliery banksman. Harry had four siblings – John, Reuben, Elizabeth and Dora.

Harry was probably educated at Camerton School, Somerset. He played for the local soccer team, Camerton FC, and captained the reserve team. He was a coal miner general labourer in 1901 and in 1907 found employment in a coalmine at Grovesend, Swansea, Wales, and later at Mountain Colliery, Gorseinon, Wales, where he played for Gorseinon Colliery FC.

George H Prowse
VC DCM

Harry married Sarah Lewis, a barmaid born at Llangyfelach, Glamorgan, on 8th November 1913 at Swansea Registry Office. There were no children.

On the 25th February 1915, George enlisted under Lt. John Hodgens, in the expanding Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, with the Service No. WZ424. He gave his date of birth as 1896. Instead of going to sea, as he might have expected, he found himself in the Drake Battalion, in the Royal Naval Division, and ultimately on the battlefields of France and Flanders.

Prowse was initially rated Ordinary Seaman, on 5th May 1915 he was promoted to Able Seaman (rank). After completing training at Blandford Forum, in September 1915 he was posted to the Drake Battalion, which was then engaged in the Gallipoli Campaign. It is not clear how much active service Prowse saw at this time as he spent significant periods hospitalised with first jaundice and then gastroenteritis, finally rejoining his battalion in Egypt on 9th January 1916. The division remained engaged in the Gallipoli Campaign until May 1916 when it was transferred to France. Prowse arrived at Marseilles on 7th June 1916, on 20th June he was promoted Petty Officer.

In November 1916 the Division was employed in the Battle of the Ancre, the final attempt to resolve the Battle of the Somme. Prowse received a gunshot wound in his left thigh on 13th November (the opening day of the battle) and after initial treatment in France was admitted to a hospital in Epsom on 17th November. Having been discharged from hospital, he went back to the base at Blandford on 9th January 1917, and eventually returned to his battalion in France on 28th March 1917.

His qualities of leadership, as well as his courage under fire, made him an obvious candidate for promotion, and on 28th April 1918 he became C.P.O. Prowse. He was awarded the DCM for his actions at Logeast Wood on 21st August 1918, when he led his men against a machine gun that was holding up the advance of the flank of his company. In spite of the heavy mist the post was captured and the crew was disposed of. On a subsequent occasion he held a position against repeated counterattacks and under heavy bombardment for 24 hours.

On the 2nd September, a few weeks after the fighting at Longeast Wood, his courage was again tested at Pronville when he saw more distinguished action, and for this he was awarded a Victoria Cross. Chief Petty Officer Prowse led a small party of men against a strong point, capturing it, together with 23 prisoners and 5 macbine guns. On three other occasions he displayed great heroism in dealing with difficult and dangerous situations, and at one time he dashed forward and attacked and captured two machine gun posts, killing 6 of the enemy and taking 13 prisoners, and two machine guns. He was the only survivor of this gallant party.

He knew that he had been recommended for a V.C., and wrote a letter home to his wife, who was herself employed on war work in a local factory, saying “For the last show of ours I have the honour of being recommended for the V.C., and if I happen to get it, which is very doubtful, I shall be granted special leave. Don’t set your mind on me getting the V.C., but to know I have been recommended for such an award is the greatest of honours, and you can quite imagine I must have done something very great. You say, I shall not half be swanking now, but you know there is not very much swank attaching to me.” He asked one of his friends, who was going home on leave, to tell his wife all the details of the action, but, unfortunately, he was not able to contact her. The first news that she received, a few weeks later, was that her husband had been killed on 27th September near Arleux during the fighting for the Bapaume – Cambrai Road. Sadly, his body was never recovered, and he is commemorated on the Vis-en-Artois Memorial.

On 17th July 1919, his VC was presented to his widow at Buckingham Palace by King George V. It was the last VC issued with blue Royal Navy ribbon. Harry is commemorated with the Prowse VC Senior Rates accommodation block at HMS Collingwood, is named on the St Peter’s War Memorial in Camerton, Somerset, on the Swansea War Memorial, with a blue plaque at his birthplace in Gilfach Goch, and with a VC commemorative stone placed at Gilfach Goch Community Council Grounds on 29th September 2018.

In addition to his VC and DCM, he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20 and Victory Medal 1914-19. The medals were sold for £950 at a Glendinning’s auction on 15th December 1966 and were purchased by Messrs Spinks. They were owned later by Captain Douglas-Morris RN, who loaned them to the Royal Naval Museum in Portsmouth. He reclaimed them in 1990 and they were sold to Lord Ashcroft at a Sotheby’s auction in 1992. The medal group is in the process of being transferred to the National Army Museum in Chelsea.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: LORD ASHCROFT COLLECTION.

BURIAL PLACE: VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL, FRANCE. PANEL 1-2.