John Barry (VC)
John Barry | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 February 1873 Kilkenny, Ireland |
| Died | 8 January 1901 (aged 27) Monument Hill, Belfast, Transvaal |
| Buried | Belfast Cemetery, Traansvaal |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1890-1901 † |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | The Royal Irish Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
John Barry, VC (1 February 1873 – 8 January 1901) born St Mary's parish, Kilkenny, Ireland, was an Irish 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.
Barry was 27 years old, and a private in the 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment, British Army during the Second Boer War when the following deed took place on 7/8 January 1901 at Monument Hill, South Africa, for which he was (posthumously) awarded the VC:
During the night attack on the 7th and 8th January, 1901, on Monument Hill, Private Barry, although surrounded and threatened by the Boers at the time, smashed the breach of the Maxim gun, thus rendering it useless to its captors, and it was in doing this splendid act for his country that he met his death.[1][a]
His VC is on display at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery in the Imperial War Museum, London.
References
[edit]- ^ On 8 August 1902, as a result of a revision in the policy in the war office which allowed posthumous awards of the Victoria Cross, Private Barry along with other men who had fallen during the recent war in South Africa, in the performance of acts of valour which would in the opinion of the Commander in Chief have entitled them to a Victoria Cross had they survived.
- ^ "No. 27462". The London Gazette. 8 August 1902. p. 5086.
Listed in order of publication year
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (1981, 1988 and 1997)
- Clarke, Brian D. H. (1986). "A register of awards to Irish-born officers and men". The Irish Sword. XVI (64): 185–287.
- Ireland's VCs ISBN 1-899243-00-3 (Dept of Economic Development 1995)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
External links
[edit]- Anglo-Boer War.com
- Burial location of John Barry "Transvaal"
- Location of Victoria Cross "Sold at auction by Dix Noonan Webb"
- Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross
- Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross
- Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) soldiers
- 1873 births
- 1901 deaths
- 19th-century Irish military personnel
- Irish soldiers in the British Army
- British military personnel killed in the Second Boer War
- British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
- People from Kilkenny (city)
- Irish expatriates in South Africa
- British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
- Military personnel from County Kilkenny