Joshua Leakey | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Leakey in 2015 | |
| Born | 1988 (age 36–37) Tampa, Florida, US |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 2007–present |
| Rank | Colour Sergeant |
| Unit | Parachute Regiment |
| Battles / wars | War in Afghanistan |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
| Relations | Nigel Leakey VC (distant cousin) David Leakey |
Colour SergeantJoshua Mark LeakeyVC (born 1988) is a British soldier currently serving in theParachute Regiment. In 2015, Leakey was awarded theVictoria Cross, the highest military decoration for valour in the British andCommonwealth armed forces, for his involvement in a joint UK–US raid inHelmand Province, Afghanistan, on 22 August 2013.[1][2][3] He was the only living British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross for theWar in Afghanistan[4] and the last person to receive it fromQueen Elizabeth II.
Leakey was born in 1988 inTampa, Florida, US.[5][6] He is the son of retired RAF officer and former director of the Armed Forces Christian Union,Air Commodore Mark Leakey, and his wife Rosemary, anoccupational therapist. He has a younger brother Ben.[7]
Leakey was educated atWitham Hall preparatory school[8] and, from 1999 to 2006,Christ's Hospital, aprivate school inHorsham, West Sussex.[9] He began a degree inmilitary history at theUniversity of Kent butdropped out during the first term to join the military.[10]
He is the second member of his family to be awarded the Victoria Cross. His second cousin twice removed,Nigel Leakey, was posthumously awarded the medal during theSecond World War.[11] Lieutenant GeneralDavid Leakey, the formerBlack Rod and former senior British Army officer, is the son of Nigel's brother Major GeneralRea Leakey.[12]
Leakey joined theBritish Army in 2007 and was subsequently posted to the1st Battalion,Parachute Regiment.[13] He served threetours of duty in Afghanistan duringOperation Herrick: in 2009, 2011 and 2013.[3][14][15]
The actions for which Leakey was awarded theVictoria Cross occurred on 22 August 2013 inHelmand Province, Afghanistan.[2] A routine joint patrol composed of British paratroopers,US Marines and Afghan soldiers had targeted a village to search for illegal weapons.[4] Having been flown into the area inChinook helicopters, the patrol was attacked bymachine gun fire androcket-propelled grenades soon after dismounting.[16] Leakey's helicopter had landed on a hill near the village and he, with three other paratroopers and an Afghan soldier, were to provide fire support for the main segment of the patrol.[4] From their vantage point, his section could see the attack and heard over their radio that someone had been injured.[2] Leakey ran up the hill to assess the seriousness of the attack and came to the conclusion that urgent action was needed.[16] Though he was only alance corporal, he took control of the situation and led his section down to the group under attack.[4]
Having reached the group under attack, he gave first aid to the wounded US Marine Corpscaptain and began to evacuate him from the battlefield.[2] While under fire, he returned to the machine guns that his section had left at the top of the hill. He moved one to a better position to fire at the attackingTaliban even though he was under constant, accurate fire (bullets were ricocheting off the weapon he was carrying).[16] His actions inspired other soldiers to join in the fight back.[4]
While he was manning the machine gun, he was also shouting updates of the situation into his radio.[4] Having realised that more than one machine gun would be needed to effectively fight back the insurgents, he allowed his gun to be taken over by another soldier. He then ran once more through heavy fire to retrieve a second machine gun, position it in a suitable site, and then manned it to fire at the Taliban.[16]
Theskirmish lasted approximately 45 minutes during which 11 insurgents were killed and four wounded. It was only whenair support arrived that fighting ceased. When it did, he handed the second machine gun over to another soldier. He then returned to the injured American officer and oversaw hismedical evacuation.[4]
TheMinistry of Defence summarised the reasons for awarding Leakey the Victoria Cross as follows:[17]
Under fire yet undeterred by the very clear and present danger, Lance Corporal Leakey ran across the exposed slope of the hill three times to initiate casualty evacuation, re-site machine guns and return fire. His actions proved the turning point, inspiring his comrades to fight back with renewed ferocity. Displaying gritty leadership well above that expected of his rank, Lance Corporal Leakey's actions singlehandedly regained the initiative and prevented considerable loss of life.
On 26 February 2015, Leakey was awarded theVictoria Cross (VC), the highestmilitary decoration awarded for valour in the United Kingdom.[17] Announcing the award, theChief of the General Staff, GeneralSir Nicholas Carter disregarded protocol to embrace Leakey.[16] On 14 April 2015, he received the medal fromQueen Elizabeth II during a ceremony atWindsor Castle.[18] He is a recipient of theOperational Service Medal for Afghanistan. Leakey has received the City of London's highest honour to become a Freeman of the city.[19]
The official VC citation reads:
Between May and December 2013, Lance Corporal Leakey was deployed in Afghanistan as a member of a Task Force conducting operations to disrupt insurgent safe-havens and protect the main operating base in Helmand province. The majority of operations took place in daylight in non-permissive areas, attracting significant risk. On the 22nd August 2013, Lance Corporal Leakey deployed on a combined UK / US assault led by the United States Marine Corps into a Taliban stronghold to disrupt a key insurgent group.
After dismounting from their helicopters, the force came under accurate machine gun and rocket propelled grenades fire resulting in the Command Group being pinned down on the exposed forward slope of a hill. The team attempted to extract from the killing zone for an hour, their efforts resulting in a Marine Corps Captain being shot and wounded and their communications being put out of action. Lance Corporal Leakey, positioned on the lee of the hill, realising the seriousness of the situation and with complete disregard for his own safety, dashed across a large area of barren hillside which was now being raked with machine gun fire. As he crested the hill, the full severity of the situation became apparent: approximately twenty enemy had surrounded two friendly machine gun teams and a mortar section rendering their critical fire support ineffective.
Undeterred by the very clear and present danger, Lance Corporal Leakey moved down the forward slope of the hill, and gave first aid to the wounded officer. Despite being the most junior commander in the area, Lance Corporal Leakey took control of the situation and initiated the casualty evacuation. Realising that the initiative was still in the hands of the enemy, he set off back up the hill, still under enemy fire, to get one of the suppressed machine guns into action. On reaching it, and with rounds impacting on the frame of the gun itself, he moved it to another position and began engaging the enemy.
This courageous action spurred those around him back into the fight; nonetheless, the weight of enemy fire continued. For the third time and with full knowledge of the extant dangers, Lance Corporal Leakey exposed himself to enemy fire once more. Weighed down by over 60 lbs of equipment, he ran to the bottom of the hill, picked up the second machine gun and climbed back up the hill again: a round trip of more than 200 metres on steep terrain. Drawing the majority of the enemy fire, with rounds splashing around him, Lance Corporal Leakey overcame his fatigue to re-site the gun and return fire. This proved to be the turning point. Inspired by Lance Corporal Leakey's actions, and with a heavy weight of fire now at their disposal, the force began to fight back with renewed ferocity.
Having regained the initiative, Lance Corporal Leakey handed over the machine gun and led the extraction of the wounded officer to a point from which he could be safely evacuated. During the assault 11 insurgents were killed and 4 wounded, but the weight of enemy fire had effectively pinned down the command team.
Displaying gritty leadership well above that expected of his rank, Lance Corporal Leakey's actions single-handedly regained the initiative and prevented considerable loss of life, allowing a wounded US Marine officer to be evacuated. For this act of valour, Lance Corporal Leakey is highly deserving of significant national recognition.[20]
 |  |  |  |
| Country | Date | Appointment | Ribbon | Post-nominal letters | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 26 February 2015 | Victoria Cross | | VC | [17] |
| United Kingdom | Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan | | [21] With Silver Rosette | ||
| United Kingdom | 6 February 2022 | Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | | [22][23] | |
| United Kingdom | 6 May 2023 | King Charles III Coronation Medal | | [24] |
Text was copied from this source, which is available under anOpen Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.