Site Home
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site you agree to accept cookies.
If you enjoy this site please consider making a donation.
Great War Home
Search
Add Stories & Photos
Library
Help & FAQs
Features
Allied Army
Day by Day
RFC & RAF
Prisoners of War
War at Sea
Training for War
The Battles
Those Who Served
Hospitals
Civilian Service
Women at War
The War Effort
Central Powers Army
Central Powers Navy
Imperial Air Service
Library
World War Two
Submissions
Add Stories & Photos
Time Capsule
Information
Help & FAQs
Glossary
Our Facebook Page
Volunteering
News
Events
Contact us
Great War Books
About
1206289Cpl. John Wallace DCM MID
British Army 148 Company Machine Gun Corps
from:31 Sturges Street, Sheffield
Sheffield newspaper article reporting Cpl. J Wallace DCM award
My grandfather,John Wallace, served throughout the Great War. He was in 1/4 Battalion The Hallamshires of the Territorial Army before the war and was mobilised at the outbreak of war.He sailed, with his battalion, for France on 13th April 1915 and served with his battalion (he was 2251 Pte J Wallace, York and Lancaster Regiment) as a machine gunner until transferred to 148 Company of the newly formed Machine Gun Corps on 31st January 1916. On 7th July 1917, during the Battle of The Somme, he was in a particularly fierce action near the small village of Thiepval, which was on, or near, the extreme left of the line, during which he remained in captured German positions to give covering fire to his retreating comrades during a German counter attack. During this action his cousin, who was part of his gun team, was killed and this left him to operate the gun alone for as long as he could. Eventually, he had to destroy the gun, which had become inoperable, with a grenade and make his way back after his comrades. The war diary for 148 Company records his action in its entry for 17th August 1916.
For his brave conduct throughout this particular action he was awarded the DCM. He had, previously, been Mentioned in Despatches at least twice. Strangely, his entry in the London Gazette, recording his DCM award, incorrectly identifies him as still belonging to York and Lancs Regiment and with his old number. He was eventually transferred to "Z" class reserve on 28th February 1919.
After the war, he married and had two children - a son and a daughter - and he died in 1947.
Cpl. J Wallace medal card
Lndon Gazette entry for DCM Award for Pte J Wallace
Related Content:
Can you help us to add to our records?
The names and stories on this website have been submitted by their relatives and friends. If your relations are not listed please add their names so that others can read about them
Did your relative live through the Great War? Do you have any photos, newspaper clippings, postcards or letters from that period? Have you researched the names on your local or war memorial?
If so please let us know.
Do you know the location of a Great War "Roll of Honour?"We are very keen to track down these often forgotten documents and obtain photographs and transcriptions of the names recorded so that they will be available for all to remember.
Help us to build a database of information on those who served both at home and abroad so that future generations may learn of their sacrifice.
Celebrate your own Family History
Celebrate by honouring members of your family who served in the Great War both in the forces and at home. We love to hear about the soldiers, but also remember the many who served in support roles, nurses, doctors, land army, muntions workers etc.
Please use our Family History resources to find out more about your relatives. Then please send in a short article, with a photo if possible, so that they can be remembered on these pages.
The free section of The Wartime Memories Project is run by volunteers.
This website is paid for out of our own pockets, library subscriptions and from donations made by visitors. The popularity of the site means that it is far exceeding available resources and we currently have a huge backlog of submissions.
If you are enjoying the site, please consider making a donation, however small to help with the costs of keeping the site running.
Hosted by:
Copyright MCMXCIX - MMXXIV
- All Rights Reserved -We do not permit the use of any content from this website for the training of LLMs or for use in Generative AI, it also may not be scraped for the purpose of creating other websites.