Victoria Crosses That Never Were....

Any joy at making out what has been crossed out? I think I have:

and said "word? word? word? word? I can't get word? and I am word? think I have lost a leg"

EDIT: I see the Company Commander states what was said in his account.

 

spoke to him and said "Here I am sir, I can't get contact and I am afraid that I have lost a leg"

(the words are actually in the next sheet)

(then on last page)..to the RAP where 'although still wounded' his first thoughts were.....

 

Captain Stephen Charles FRANCIS
1st Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment
Recommended for the VC for action on the March 6th, 1942, awarded DSO. He was wounded a day later and died to his wounds on the March 8th, 1942.

‘A’ Company was involved in an action at Waw with the 7th Hussars. This involved the only tank against tank action in the Burma campaign of 1942, and required the 7th Hussars and ‘A’ Company to break through a roadblock established by the Japanese on the main road. The Company Commander, Captain Stephen Charles FRANCIS was awarded the D.S.O. for his leadership, even though the Commanding Officer of the 7th Hussars wished to recommend him for the Victoria Cross, but the necessary three independent witnesses could not be found. Captain FRANCIS was wounded on 7 March, and he died of his wounds the next day. He was aged twenty-four years.

Source: https://www.britishmilitaryhistory....ARINDIN-Major-General-Philip-Charles-V3_1.pdf

He is only the second person recommended for a VC during the First Burma Campaign, as far as I know. He is commemorated at the Rangoon Memorial.

 

Naik Trilok Sing Rawat of 3/18 Garhwal rifles was not awarded the Victoria Cross because of a certain incident which took place in India a while earlier. Two platoons of a the Royal Garhwal Rifles, refused to board buses that were to take them into Peshawar for anti-riot duty doubting that they might be asked to fire upon unarmed civilians, it could be because of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The government had almost made up their mind to disband the regiment. An unwritten order was passed that the soldiers of Garhwal Rifles will no longer be eligible for Victoria Crosses.

It is pity that the action of Naik Trilok Sing Rawat did not secure him the Victoria Cross, as a result of his single handed actions a huge number of soldiers were able to withdraw safely without any casualties.

 

Is there any mention of New Zealand Engineers having their awards down graded???

 

I searched this thread for Zealand and only your post was found. That does not mean it did not happen or did happen, but is not shown here.