William McNally

William McNally VC MM
Born	16 December 1894 Murton, County Durham
Died	1 May 1976 (aged 81) Murton
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Green Howards
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Victoria Cross Military Medal & bar

William McNally VC, MM and Bar (16 December 1894 – 5 January 1976^[1]) 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.

Details

He was 23 years old, and a sergeant in the 8th (S) Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own), British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 27 October 1918 at Piave River, Italy, when his company was most seriously hindered by machine-gun fire, Sergeant McNally, regardless of personal safety, rushed the machine-gun post single-handed, killing the team and capturing the gun. Later, at Vazzola on 29 October the sergeant crept up to the rear of an enemy post, put the garrison to flight and captured the machine-gun. On the same day, when holding a newly captured ditch, he was strongly counter-attacked from both flanks, but coolly controlling the fire of his party, he frustrated that attack, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy.^[2]

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Green Howards Museum, Richmond, North Yorkshire, alongside the medals of a fellow resident of Murton, James Hall DCM MM

James Hall and William McNally

References

1. "The Yorkshire Regiment, WW I". Retrieved March 12, 2013.
2. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31067. p. 14776. 13 December 1918. Retrieved 7 April 2015.

External links

• Location of grave and VC medal (Co. Durham)
• William McNally at Find a Grave