Personal info
- Name: Philip NEAME
- D.O.B: 12th Dec, 1888
- D.O.A: 19th Dec, 1914
- D.O.D: 28th Apr, 1978
- Award: Victoria Cross
- Occupation at time of action: Lieutenant, 15th Field Company, Corps of Royal Engineers, 8th Division
- Book: The Complete History - Volume 2
Near Neuve Chapelle, France 19 December 1914
19 December 1914
The First World War 1914
On the night of 18-19 December 1914, Lieutenant P Neame, RE, and 36 sappers were ordered to join up German trenches with the British system near Neuve Chapelle, north of La Bassée. On hearing bombing ahead, Neame left a sergeant in charge of his men and went to the aid of a bombing squad from the West Yorkshires, who were under attack. The damp fuses of their home-made bombs would not light so Neame trimmed the ends of the fuses. This reduced the interval from lighting to explosion but gave a clean cut to light. In the midst of machinegun fire and return bombing he held off the Germans for 45 minutes, allowing the rescue of those wounded West Yorkshires who could be moved.
Citation
For conspicuous bravery on the 19th December, near Neuve Chapelle, when, notwithstanding the very heavy rifle fire and bomb-throwing by the enemy, he succeeded in holding them back and rescuing all the wounded men whom it was possible to move.
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