JACK THOMAS COUNTER VC IWM Q68178

Private Jack Thomas Counter VC. Unit: 1st Battalion, The King's (Liverpool Regiment). Death: 1970.


He was awarded the Victoria Cross during the German Spring Offensive on the Western Front for the following action: "On 16 April 1918 near Boisieux St. Marc, France, it was necessary for information to be obtained from the front line and the only way to get it was over ground with no cover and in full view of the enemy. A small party tried without success, followed by six men, singly, each one being killed in the attempt. Private Counter then volunteered and, going out under terrific fire, got through and returned with vital information which enabled his commanding officer to organise and launch the final successful counter-attack. Subsequently he also carried five messages across the open under heavy artillery barrage to company headquarters." Private Counter was born at Blandford Forum, Dorset in 1898. He survived the First World War and subsequently worked as a postman on Jersey in the Channel Islands. He died in 1970