George Harold Eardley
| George Harold Eardley | |
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| Born | 6 May 1912 Congleton, Cheshire |
| Died | 11 September 1991 Congleton |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1940 - 1950 |
| Rank | Company Sergeant-Major |
| Unit | Queen's Royal Regiment The King's Shropshire Light Infantry |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Military Medal |
George Harold Eardley VC, MM (6 May 1912 - 11 September 1991) 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.
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[edit] Details
Eardley was 32 years old, and an acting sergeant in the 4th Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry, British Army during the Second World War when he was awarded the VC.
On 16 October 1944 east of Overloon, the Netherlands, Sergeant Eardley's platoon was ordered to clear some orchards where a strong opposition was holding up the advance, but 80 yards (73 m) away from the objective the platoon was halted by automatic fire from machine-gun posts. Sergeant Eardley spotted one of these posts and moving forward under heavy fire killed the officer at the post with a grenade. He went on to destroy two more posts single-handed, under fire so intense that it daunted those who were with him, but his action enabled the platoon to achieve its objective and thus ensured the success of the whole attack.
[edit] Further information
He later achieved the rank of company sergeant-major. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London. A statue was erected in his home town of Congleton in 2004.
[edit] References
- British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997)
- Eardley VC, MM, KSLI (Roy H. Eardley, Andrea Wendy Eardley, 1997)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
