| Alfred Atkinson VC | |
|---|---|
 Atkinson as depicted on a cigarette card | |
| Born |
6 February 1874 Leeds, West Yorkshire |
| Died |
February 21, 1900 (age 26) Paardeberg, Transvaal † |
| Buried at | Gruisbank British Cemetery, Paardeberg |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 British Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | The Yorkshire Regiment (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own) |
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Alfred Atkinson VC (6 February 1874 – 21 February 1900) 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.
Alfred was born in Armley in Leeds and was the son of James Harland Atkinson (born ~1830 at Kirkby Malzeard, Yorkshire) and Margaret Mansfield (born ~1833 at Leeds, Yorkshire) [1] who were married in Leeds on June 4, 1855. James Harland Atkinson was a Shoeing Smith in the Royal Artillery.[2]
He was 26 years old, and a sergeant in the 1st Battalion, The Yorkshire Regiment (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own), British Army during the Second Boer War when the following deed took place on 18 February 1900 during the Battle of Paardeberg, South Africa for which he was awarded the VC:
No. 3264 Sergeant A. Atkinson, Yorkshire Regiment.During the battle of Paardeburg, 18th February, 1900, Sergeant A. Atkinson, 1st Battalion Yorkshire Regiment, went out seven-times, under heavy and close fire, to obtain water for the wounded. At the seventh attempt he was wounded in the head, and died a few days afterwards.[3]
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Green Howards Museum, Richmond, Yorkshire, England.
References[]
- ^ 1881 England census
- ^ James Harland Atkinson marriage certificate
- ^ London Gazette: no. 27462, p. 5086, 8 August 1902. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War (Ian Uys, 2000)
External links[]
- Burial location of Alfred Atkinson "Transvaal, South Africa"
- Location of Alfred Atkinson's Victoria Cross "Green Howards Museum, Richmond"
- Alfred Atkinson at Find-A-Grave
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Atkinson, Alfred |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Recipient of the Victoria Cross |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 6 February 1874 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Leeds, West Yorkshire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 21 February 1900 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Paardeberg, Transvaal |
| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Alfred Atkinson. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |