Frank Edward Stubbs VC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 12 March 1888 |
| Died | 25 April 1915(1915-04-25) (aged 27) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | Lancashire Fusiliers |
| Conflicts | World War I |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
Frank Edward StubbsVC (12 March 1888 – 25 April 1915) was anEnglish 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.
Stubbs was 27 years old, and asergeant in the 1st Battalion,Lancashire Fusiliers,British Army during theFirst World War. He waskilled in action on 25 April 1915 whilelanding on W Beach in Cape Helles,Gallipoli,Turkey.[citation needed]
Stubbs was one of the six members of the regiment elected for the award by the survivors. These were hailed in the press as 'six VC's before breakfast', and the commander of the Allied troops at Gallipoli, GeneralIan Hamilton ordered that the beach be renamed 'Lancashire Landing'.[1]
The other five of the '6 VCs before breakfast' were awarded toCuthbert Bromley,John Elisha Grimshaw,William Kenealy,Alfred Joseph Richards andRichard Raymond Willis.
On the 25th April, 1915, headquarters and three companies of the 1st Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, in effecting a landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula to the West of Cape Helles, were met by very deadly fire from hidden machine guns, which caused a great number of casualties. The survivors, however, rushed up to and cut the wire entanglements, notwithstanding the terrific fire from the enemy, and after overcoming supreme difficulties, the cliffs were gained and the position maintained. Amongst the many very gallant officers and men engaged in this most hazardous undertaking, Captain Bromley, Serjeant Stubbs, and Corporal Grimshaw have been selected by their comrades as having performed the most signal acts of bravery and devotion to duty.
— The London Gazette, No. 29985, 15 March 1917[2]
He is commemorated on theHelles Memorial.[3] His Victoria Cross was purchased at auction on 18 April 2024 by an unnamed buyer and is displayed at theFusilier Museum inBury, Lancashire.[4][5]
