Ernest Seaman | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1893-08-16)16 August 1893 Heigham,Norfolk, England |
| Died | 29 September 1918(1918-09-29) (aged 25) † Terhand, Belgium |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1915–1918 |
| Rank | Lance Corporal |
| Unit | Army Service Corps The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers |
| Battles / wars | First World War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Military Medal |
Ernest SeamanVC,MM (16 August 1893 – 29 September 1918) was an English recipient of theVictoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded toBritish andCommonwealth forces. A soldier withThe Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, he was posthumously awarded the VC for his actions on 29 September 1918, during theHundred Days Offensive of theFirst World War.
Ernest Seaman was born on 16 August 1893, in the village of Heigham, nearNorwich, to Henry and Sarah Seaman, who already had a daughter. His father died while Seaman was still a child but his mother was later remarried, to a publican. The family ran an inn nearScole. Educated at Scole Primary School, on finishing his schooling Seaman moved toTrimley to live with an aunt and work as apage boy in the Grand Hotel inFelixstowe. Emigrated to Canada in 1912.[1]
On the outbreak of the First World War, Seaman returned to the United Kingdom and tried to enlist in theBritish Army. He was initially rejected, but he subsequently enlisted at Le Havre.[2] However, he was classified as unfit for active frontline service and was posted to the catering division of theArmy Service Corps in late 1915. As the war progressed, the high casualty rates in theBritish Expeditionary Force saw standards for frontline service lowered and Seaman was transferred to aninfantry unit, the 2nd Battalion ofThe Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Serving in the Ypres salient, he was soon awarded theMilitary Medal (MM) for attending, while under fire, to fellow soldiers who had been wounded. The recommendation for his MM was made by his company commander.[1]
As part of the36th (Ulster) Division, Seaman's battalion was engaged in theFifth Battle of Ypres, a battle of theHundred Days Offensive, on 29 September 1918. It was tasked with the capture ofTerhand. After initial good progress, the battalion was held up by German machine-gun posts. Seaman, a lance corporal operating aLewis gun, played a key role in getting the advance restarted although he was killed in the process. Afterwards, his bravery was recognised with a posthumous award of the Victoria Cross (VC).[3] The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of theBritish Empire.[4] The citation for his VC read:
For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. When the right flank of his company was held up by a nest of enemy machine guns, he, with great courage and initiative, rushed forward under heavy fire with his Lewis gun and engaged the position single-handed, capturing two machine guns and twelve prisoners and killing one officer and two men. Later in the day he again rushed another enemy machine-gun position, capturing the gun under heavy fire. He was killed immediately after. His courage and dash were beyond all praise, and it was entirely due to the very gallant conduct of Lce. Cpl. Seaman that his company was enabled to push forward to its objective and capture many prisoners.
— The London Gazette, 12 November 1918[5]
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Seaman has no known grave but is commemorated at theTyne Cot Memorial to the Missing nearYpres,[6] the memorial to the 36th Division at theUlster Tower nearThiepval on theSomme, Felixstowe War Memorial inSuffolk, and the Scole War Memorial inNorfolk.King George V presented Seaman's VC to his mother in a ceremony atBuckingham Palace on 13 February 1919.[1]
Seaman is the subject of a short story entitled "Unfit for Active Service" by Ruth Dugdall.[7] It was published in 2018 as part of an anthology to commemorate the centenary of the end of World War One. EntitledThe Many Faces of 1918, the anthology is a collection of original stories from across Europe, chosen by the embassies of those countries. Unfit for Active Service was chosen by John Marshall, the British Ambassador to Luxembourg.[8]
Seaman's VC is held at themuseum of the successor to the Army Service Corps, The Royal Logistic Corps. As well as the MM, he was also entitled to several campaign medals, including the1914–1915 Star, theBritish War Medal, and theVictory Medal.[9]
