john collins

JOHN COLLINS, VC, DCM

Awarded for actions on 29th November 1917 for the assualt on Jerusalem

For background on John, please see his entry under Victoria Cross.

The London Gazette of 1st May 1918;

"For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. As soon as the enemy opened fire at point blank range he rallied all the men near him, took control of a portion of the line, and brought every available rifle to bear on the enemy. During the consolidation he did exceptionally good work , and later, when the enemy counter attacked, went under heavy fire from post to post to see that they were being held to the best advantage. His ability and devotion to duty were of the highest order."

The following is taken from www.merthyr-history.com

“……..on 29 Nov 1917 D and B Company were ordered to take the village of Beit-ur-et-Foqa commencing at 20.00 and arriving at 03.30 the next day. The assault commenced 15 minutes later and, at first, everything went well. D Company and part of B Company, a force of only 80 men, traversed the difficult terrain and reached their objective just as dawn was breaking, catching the Turkish garrison completely by surprise as they were either forming up on parade or preparing a meal. Dividing his small force into two Maj Rees advanced and captured a Turkish officer. When they reached the village, using the prisoner as an interpreter, they called upon the garrison to surrender. The Turks appeared to be complying with the request before opening fire with six machine-guns which fortunately had little effect, as the men were able to take cover behind low garden walls from where they returned fire. Collins, by this time a sergeant, was instrumental in organising part of his line and was able to bring very effective fire onto the Turkish positions. In a very short period of time, the Turks began to put up their hands and the entire garrison quickly surrendered.

The Welsh troops found themselves in charge of more than 450 prisoners and a small escort was detailed to take them back to the British lines. Maj Rees attempted to contact the British line for support but was unsuccessful. The main Turkish force then realised that Beit-ur-et-Foqa had been captured by an under-strength British unit and began to close on the village from all directions. By 08.00 they were surrounded and under fire from all sides. Amongst the four officers and thirty men, John Collins played a pivotal role in visiting each group of defenders to ensure that they were being used to the best possible advantage. Rees, realising that his position was untenable, then withdrew his men from the village and succeeded in reaching the British lines at 09.45. The village was recaptured later that day by a stronger force from the 2259 Brigade.”

John was decorated with the DCM by the Brigade Commander on 4 January 1918.

John is one of only two* double gallantry award winners from Merthyr Tydfil.

*as of 14th October 2022