Orders, Decorations and Medals

A Great War ‘Western Front’ M.C. group of four awarded to Captain V. F. de W. W. Vredenburg, West Riding Regiment

Military Cross, G.V.R., reverse inscribed, ‘Capt. V. F. de W. W. Vredenburg, Arras, August 9th 1917’; 1914-15 Star (2 Lieut., W. Rid. R.); British War and Victory Medals (Capt.) mounted as worn, good very fine (4) £1000-1200

M.C. London Gazette 9 January 1917. ‘T./2nd Lt. Vivian Francis de Wilton Wilmot Vredenburg, attd. W. Rid. R.’ ‘For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty during a raid on the enemy’s trenches. When the parties on his right and left had failed to reach their objective he continued to hold on after the hour of withdrawal until satisfied that both parties had got safely back. During the entire period he crawled up and down his line under heavy fire, controlling and directing the fire of his men, and, after finally seeing every man into our front line trench, he again returned to No Man’s Land under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire to superintend the search for wounded’.

Vredenburg was appointed Captain on 26 August 1917. The War Diary of the 2nd Battalion West Riding Regiment provides details of the raid on the enemy’s ‘Arrow’ trench on the night of 9/10 August 1917. 2nd Lieutenants Vredenburg (i/c) and Wood led a party of 38 men. Lieutenant Wood and four other ranks were killed and five others wounded in the action. With copied gazette and war diary extracts.