Personal info
- Name: John CARMICHAEL
- D.O.B: 1st Apr, 1893
- D.O.A: 8th Sep, 1917
- D.O.D: 26th Dec, 1977
- Award: Victoria Cross
- Occupation at time of action: Sergeant, 9th Battalion The Prince of Wales’s (North Staffordshire Regiment), 37th Division
- Book: The Complete History - Volume 2
Near Hill 60, Zwarteleen, Belgium 8 September 1917
8 September 1917
The First World War 1917
On 8 September 1917, as part of the preparations for what became the second phase of the Third Battle of Ypres, British forces excavated a major communications trench, Imperial Avenue, near Hill 60 by the Ypres to Comines railway at Zwarteleen, about three miles south-east of Ypres.
Citation
For most conspicuous bravery. When excavating a trench, Sjt. Carmichael saw that a grenade had been unearthed and had started to burn. He immediately rushed to the spot and, shouting to his men to get clear, placed his steel helmet over the grenade and stood on the helmet. The grenade exploded and blew him out of the trench. Sjt. Carmichael could have thrown the bomb out of his trench, but he realised that by doing so he would have endangered the lives of the men working on the top. By this splendid act of resource and self-sacrifice Sjt. Carmichael undoubtedly saved many men from injury, but it resulted in serious injury to himself.