Robert Vaughan Gorle
| Robert Vaughan Gorle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
6 March 1896 Southsea, Hampshire |
| Died |
10 January 1937 Durban, South Africa |
| Buried at | Stellawood Cemetery, Durban |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | Royal Artillery |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards |
_ribbon.png){kind=small} Victoria Cross |
| Other work | Farmer |
Robert Vaughan Gorle VC (6 March 1896 – 10 January 1937) 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.
Gorle was born in Southsea on 6 May 1896 and educated at Malvern College and Rugby School. Prior to the First World War was a farmer in South Africa.[1]
Gorle was a temporary lieutenant in "A" Battery, 50th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery, British Army at Ledeghem, Belgium, during the First World War when he performed the deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
His citation in the London Gazette reads:
For most conspicuous bravely, initiative and devotion to duty during the attack on Ledeghem. on 1st October, 1918, when in command of an 18-pdr. gun working in close conjunction with infantry. He brought his gun into action in the most exposed positions on four separate occasions, and disposed of enemy machine guns by firing over open sights under direct machine-gun fire at 500 to 600 yards' range. Later, seeing that the infantry were being driven back by intense hostile fire, he, without hesitation, galloped his gun in front of the leading infantry, and on two occasions knocked out enemy machine guns which were causing the trouble. His disregard of personal safety and dash were a magnificent example to the wavering line, which rallied and re-took the northern end of the village.[2]
After the war Gorle returned to Africa, eventually settling in Southern Rhodesia where he was appointed as Sergeant-at-Arms to the Southern Rhodesian Legislative Assembly. He died on 9 January 1937 of pneumonia and emphasema and is buried in Durban, South Africa.[3]
His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London after being purchased privately in 1993.[4]
References
- ↑ Ashcroft, Michael (2007). Victoria Cross Heroes. Headline Review. pp. 226–227. ISBN 978 0 7553 1633 5.
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31067. p. 14775. 13 December 1918. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
- ↑ Gliddon, Gerald (2014). VCs of the First World War: The Final Days 1918. The History Press. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ↑ Lord Ashcroft Medals
Further reading
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)