REMEMBERING OUR LOCAL HEROES – WILLIAM JOHN ENGLISH

Cadet Company Sergeant Major Peter Boyle and Cadet Regimental Sergeant Major Chris Ashe remember the life and sacrifice of William John English – a hero of the Boer War, the First and the Second World War who was also a former pupil of Campbell College.

William John English was born on the 6th of October 1882 in Ireland to his father William English and to his mother who is unknown on civil and military records.
His father was currently serving in the Royal Army Service Corps as the Quartermaster at the rank of Lieutenant at the time.
His secondary education took place at Harvey Grammar school in Folkstone, Kent from 1894 to 1898, and finished at Campbell College Belfast from 1898 to 1899.

Immediately after attending Campbell College, English joined the Merchant Navy at Cork as a rating where he was sent to South Africa for service, eventually leaving and joining The Scottish Horse stationed in Africa at the time. 

The Scottish Horse was a newly founded yeomanry regiment of the Territorial Army formed in 1900 due the demands needed to help in the Second Boer War in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Pietermaritzburg. The regiment was comprised mainly of Australian volunteers and drafts from Scotland and South Africa. William served in the ranks of the regiment before receiving his commission in March 1901 as a Second Lieutenant at the age of 18.

Only 4 months after receiving his commission, William English went on to receive the highest honour of the British Army, the Victoria Cross, for gallantry in the face of the enemy, at Vlakfontein in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. Major F D Murry, his Commanding Officer described the valiant action as:

“English, with five men was holding the right of my position during the Boer attack. Two of his men were killed and two wounded, but the position was held largely owing to Lieutenant English’s pluck. When ammunition ran short Lieutenant English came over to me and got more. To do this he had to cross some 15 yards of open ground under a heavy fire at a range of 20 to 30 yards.”

This made William English the only person in The Scottish Horse ever to receive a VC.
After the war he returned home to the United Kingdom to receive his VC from the Prince of Wales during a coronation parade of colonial troops in London on the 1st of July 1902.

The Scottish Horse was disbanded in 1902 after the end of the second Boer War.
 
In 1905, William returned to South Africa and enlisted in the Dragoon Guards, part of the regular Army.  He returned to England the day before war was declared with Germany in 1914 and he was then promoted to captain and sent to France.
William was elevated to the rank of temporary Major at the end of November 1914 due to the high fatality rate of Officers on the front line.  He served with a number of units through the war, including the famous 36th (Ulster) Division.

From the end of the First World War until his retirement in December 1930 he served as a full Major, including spells of service in Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland, Germany and finally three years in India.

In retirement he returned to his home at Ballyhackamore, where he paid regular visits to the docks and shipyards and was a passionate builder of model ships. He worked for the Belfast branch of the Royal British Legion, being Chairman of Poppy Day Appeals. He also strove enthusiastically to help the employment of former servicemen.

On 29 August 1939 Major English was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel when the War Office requested that the Territorial Army Association in Northern Ireland form No.200 group of the National Defence Companies.  

On 1 November this was transformed into 6th Battalion Royal Ulster Rifles, and one of English’s officers later wrote that:

” Old soldiers of all sorts flocked to join the colours again – Bill English was their idol … He was indefatigable in arranging for all the comfort he could get for his troops”

He successfully developed the strength and calibre of the battalion until on 24 April 1941, to the dismay of all his men, he was ordered to hand over command to a younger office, Major K R O’Brien.

Against medical advice, he chose to travel to the East as Officer Commanding a troopship. 
The ship was attacked and damaged by dive-bombers off the west coast of Africa. His cabin was wrecked and shaken violently with him inside causing shellshock effects.

When he landed at Durban in South Africa doctors advised against him travelling any further, but he ignored them and died at sea off the coast at Aden, exactly forty years and one day after he had fought at Vlakfontein, and won his VC – 4 July 1941. 

William John English VC now lies buried in grave I.21 at Maala Cemetery in Yemen.

English’s medal group was bequeathed to his former and favourite school Campbell College.
It has now been lent to the Imperial War Museum in London as part of their Victoria and George Cross collection museum until 2020.

His medals include:
•Victoria cross
•Queens south Africa medal (5 bars)
•1914 star (ribbon and bar)
•British War medal 
•Victory medal 
•1939-45 star
•African star
•King Edward VII coronation medal 
•king George VI coronation medal
•Ordre du MériteAgricole

William John English has a memorial brass plaque in the central hall at Campbell College. This describes the event which earned him his VC along with his name and rank and last formal military photo above it alongside with other fallen Campbellians’ 
His name is also inscribed in the Campbell WW2 memorial for past fallen pupils and teachers.
  

The school motto is very appropriate when remembering these local heroes:  “Ne Obliviscaris” – “Do not forget”.