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Thomas George Turrall V.C.
A Birmingham Victoria Cross Holder who seems to have been forgotten is Private Thomas George Turrall 10th Battalion Worcester Regiment, born on 5th July 1885 and lived at 23 Oakley Road Small Heath. Before that they lived at 1 back of 63 Hawkes St with his Mother Ellen and father William who was a coal dealer and elder brother William.
He travelled to Worcester were he had family ties and found work there working for Worcestershire council
He was one on the first to volunteer at the start of the Great War in Sept.1914 and by 1915 he was on the Western Front and the following year fighting in the Battle of the Somme at La Boisselle in the Somme sector.
Turrall was quite a well-known character in the Regiment and the Regimental History of the War Records state that he had been freed from the Guard Room to take part in the battle.
Private Turrall was with a small group of men leading a bombing attack on a German position when they were caught in a hail of machine gun fire Private Turrall who was in his mid twenties remained with his officer Lieutenant Jennings who was very badly wounded his leg shattered by machine gun fire and was completely cut of on all sides by the murderous machine gun fire and bombs. Dragging the wounded officer into a shell hole Turrall used the wooden haft of his entrenching to make a splint bandaging it on with one of his puttees he remained their for three hours holding the position and looking after the officer the best way he could, with bombs bursting all round him.
On seeing a Germans bombing party had spotted him in the shell hole he watched as they advanced towards him.. Turrall held his ground picked up his rifle and shot two of them, he watched as the other retreated, then from the east he saw a German counter attack and knew the situation was hopeless as all the other members of his unit in the bombing party had been killed. Without hand grenades he could do no more. Jennings was unconscious so he flung himself onto the ground and feigned death; the Germans advanced prodded him with bayonets and passed him by. When darkness fell seizing a moment he took a chance and carried the wounded Jennings to safety to the British Lines only for him to die on the operating table in the field hospital …but not before Lieutenant Richard William Jennings had dictated an account of Turralls actions
Thomas rejoined his unit and fought with great gallantry till his unit was withdrawn from the fighting at La Boisselle.
Thomas George Turrall was awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in the field on the 3rd July 1916 in holding a position single-handed and saving an officers life under heavy fire.
When the King visited the trenches in 1916 Private Turrall was called out to speak to him.
A sad letter written by the mother of Jennings was sent to the mother of Turrall, which became public knowledge..and one passage read
“Will you let me know when your brave son is in England? I will go anywhere in England to see him and give him some special thing in memory of Lieutenant Jennings.
Your son must be a hero and so strong, for my son was over six feet”.
Turrall fought in Arras, Loos St.Quintin, La Bassee, and Cambrai right up to the advance in 1918, he was demobilised in April 1919
Private Thomas George Turrall 10th Battalion Worcester Regiment
Victoria Cross, 1914-15 Star, General Service Medal and Victory Medal
Two Photo's of Turrall one on joining up and the other with his V.C.
A Birmingham Victoria Cross Holder who seems to have been forgotten is Private Thomas George Turrall 10th Battalion Worcester Regiment, born on 5th July 1885 and lived at 23 Oakley Road Small Heath. Before that they lived at 1 back of 63 Hawkes St with his Mother Ellen and father William who was a coal dealer and elder brother William.
He travelled to Worcester were he had family ties and found work there working for Worcestershire council
He was one on the first to volunteer at the start of the Great War in Sept.1914 and by 1915 he was on the Western Front and the following year fighting in the Battle of the Somme at La Boisselle in the Somme sector.
Turrall was quite a well-known character in the Regiment and the Regimental History of the War Records state that he had been freed from the Guard Room to take part in the battle.
Private Turrall was with a small group of men leading a bombing attack on a German position when they were caught in a hail of machine gun fire Private Turrall who was in his mid twenties remained with his officer Lieutenant Jennings who was very badly wounded his leg shattered by machine gun fire and was completely cut of on all sides by the murderous machine gun fire and bombs. Dragging the wounded officer into a shell hole Turrall used the wooden haft of his entrenching to make a splint bandaging it on with one of his puttees he remained their for three hours holding the position and looking after the officer the best way he could, with bombs bursting all round him.
On seeing a Germans bombing party had spotted him in the shell hole he watched as they advanced towards him.. Turrall held his ground picked up his rifle and shot two of them, he watched as the other retreated, then from the east he saw a German counter attack and knew the situation was hopeless as all the other members of his unit in the bombing party had been killed. Without hand grenades he could do no more. Jennings was unconscious so he flung himself onto the ground and feigned death; the Germans advanced prodded him with bayonets and passed him by. When darkness fell seizing a moment he took a chance and carried the wounded Jennings to safety to the British Lines only for him to die on the operating table in the field hospital …but not before Lieutenant Richard William Jennings had dictated an account of Turralls actions
Thomas rejoined his unit and fought with great gallantry till his unit was withdrawn from the fighting at La Boisselle.
Thomas George Turrall was awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in the field on the 3rd July 1916 in holding a position single-handed and saving an officers life under heavy fire.
When the King visited the trenches in 1916 Private Turrall was called out to speak to him.
A sad letter written by the mother of Jennings was sent to the mother of Turrall, which became public knowledge..and one passage read
“Will you let me know when your brave son is in England? I will go anywhere in England to see him and give him some special thing in memory of Lieutenant Jennings.
Your son must be a hero and so strong, for my son was over six feet”.
Turrall fought in Arras, Loos St.Quintin, La Bassee, and Cambrai right up to the advance in 1918, he was demobilised in April 1919
Private Thomas George Turrall 10th Battalion Worcester Regiment
Victoria Cross, 1914-15 Star, General Service Medal and Victory Medal
Two Photo's of Turrall one on joining up and the other with his V.C.
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