I think we may have found another WW1 VC poet - William was found for us by Loraine Sherlock, in whose Grandmother's autograph book William wrote the poem featured here and pictured below when he was a Curate at St. Edmond's Church, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK
William Addison was born on 18th September 1883 in Odiham, Hampshire, UK. His parents were William Grylls Addison, an artist, and his wife Alice Addison. Educated at Robert Mays School in Odiham, as a young man William went to work as a lumberjack in Canada. After studying at Salisbury Theological College, he was ordained in 1913 and became Curate of St Edmund's Church, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK, which now houses Salisbury Arts Centre.
William volunteered to serve in the British Army Chaplain’s Department and became a Temporary Chaplain of the Forces, 4th Class in the Army Chaplain's Department, British Army.
He served in Mesopotamia and was awarded a Victoria Cross (VC) for most conspicuous bravery on 9th April 1916 at Sanna-i-Yat when he carried a wounded man to the cover of a trench and assisted several others to cover, binding up their wounds under heavy rifle and machine gun fire. In addition to these unaided efforts, by his splendid example and utter disregard of personal danger, he encouraged the stretcher-bearers to go forward under heavy fire and collect the wounded.
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The poem written by The Reverend William Robert Fountaine Addison
in 1913, when he was Vicar of St. Edmunds Church, Salisbury |
William married Marjorie H.K. Wallis of Caterham in Christ Church, Brighton in September 1917.
William’s Victoria Cross was gazetted on September 26th 1916 and almost a year later, the presentation by King George V took place at Buckingham Palace on 3rd August 1917. William Addison was also awarded the Order of St George-Russia.
After the war, William continued as an army chaplain and served in Malta, Khartoum and Shanghai and at various army bases in England. He was Senior Chaplain to the Forces from 1934 to 1938 when he left the army and again became a parish priest. He was Rector of Coltishall with Great Hautbois in Norfolk from 1938 to 1958. During the Second World War, William returned to the army and served as Senior Chaplain to the Forces. He died in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex on 7th January 1962 and is buried in Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey.
A replica set of William's medals is on display at the Museum of Army Chaplaincy, and at Sarum College in Salisbury.
The Order of Saint George (Russian: Орден Святого Георгия, Orden Svyatogo Georgiya) is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. The award was established on 26 November 1769 Julian calendar (7 December 1769 Gregorian calendar) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commissioned officers and generals by Empress Catherine the Great. After the 1917 Russian Revolution it was awarded by the White movement anti-communist forces under Alexander Kolchak until their collapse in 1921.
Sources: Find my Past, Free BMD, Wikipedia and http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/coulson.htm
With grateful thanks to Loraine for this amazing find.
