Hanson Turner


Hanson Victor Turner VC 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.

Details

Turner was 33 years old, and an acting sergeant in the 1st Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment, British Army during the Second World War. He was awarded the VC for his actions on 6/7 June 1944 during Operation U-Go at Ningthoukong, India, when he almost "single-handedly" and with "doggedness and spirit of endurance of the highest order" held off Japanese attacks until the morning by running back to replenish his supplies. He was killed while throwing a grenade.

Citation

The citation refers to Ningthoukong as being in Burma, but it is actually in the state of Manipur in India.

Legacy

Although Hanson Victor Turner was 'originally' a 'Duke', he was serving with The West Yorkshire Regiment when he was awarded his VC. When his medal was put up for sale, at auction, it was purchased by the Halifax Town Council, as he was a local, Halifax, resident. It is displayed in The Duke of Wellington's Regiment Regimental Museum in Bankfield Museum, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England.