John Brunt

He had an elder sister named Dorothy (born 13 May 1920) and a younger sister, Isobel (born 5 October 1923).

When Dorothy was eight, the family moved to a farm near Whittington, Shropshire, where John grew up.

As he became older, his fearless nature became more apparent; every week, he read the comic Tiny Tots, which featured instructions on "How to teach yourself to swim".

One day, he asked Dorothy to take him to the Shropshire Canal, which went through their farmland.

Before his sister could stop him, Brunt had taken off all his clothes and jumped into the canal.

When they finally arrived home, their mother wanted to know why he had no clothes on, and John responded that he had been teaching himself to swim.

As he got older, his daredevil attitude became even more serious; on one occasion, he was found swinging himself along the guttering of a Dutch barn 60 ft above the farmyard.

After attending the village school in Welsh Frankton, Brunt was enrolled at Ellesmere College, where his mischievous streak became quickly apparent through pranks and dares; once, while in the sanatorium with mumps, he slipped a laxative into the matron's tea.

Nevertheless, he is fondly remembered at the school.

It was while he was at Ellesmere that he contracted measles, resulting in his need to wear glasses.

An enthusiastic sportsman, Brunt played cricket, hockey, rugby, water polo and wrestling.

He was the only pupil at the school to tackle the headmaster while playing rugby, injuring the older man's knee in the process.

Captain John Henry Cound Brunt, (6 December 1922 – 10 December 1944) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

He served in the Italian campaign during the Second World War and was twice decorated for bravery in action before he was killed by mortar fire the day after his VC action.

John Henry Cound Brunt was born on 6 December 1922, on a farm in Priest Weston, near Chirbury, Shropshire to Thomas Henry Brunt and Nesta Mary Brunt (née Cound), and began his education at Chirbury village school.

In 1934, the Brunt family moved to Paddock Wood in Kent and, in his school holidays, "Young John" (as he was known in the village) would come home.

Although he was still a reckless individual, he was thought of very highly, and helped train the Paddock Wood Home Guard between 1940 and 1943, assisted by his father.

He spent his last days in Paddock Wood helping with the hop harvest.

Brunt joined the British Army when he left school, training as a private soldier with the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment in 1941, during the Second World War.

He received a commission as a second lieutenant on 2 January 1943, and was posted to North Africa.

Although he was commissioned in the Sherwood Foresters, he never served with them, instead being posted to the 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment (6th Lincolns), a Territorial Army (TA) unit, having become friendly with Captain Alan Money, an officer in the Lincolns, on the boat to North Africa.

On 9 September 1943, Brunt's battalion landed at Salerno as part of the Allied invasion of Italy and Brunt, now a lieutenant, was given command of No.9 Platoon in 'A' Company.

The unit subsequently moved south-east to establish a base on a farm near the river Asa.

Between December 1943 and January 1944, during the Bernhardt Line fighting, Brunt commanded a battle patrol and saw near-constant action.

In the early hours of 15 December, they received orders to destroy an enemy post based in some houses 200 yards north of the River Peccia.

In efforts to break the enemy line, he crossed and re-crossed the river so many times that the troops took to calling it "Brunt's Brook".

After an intense five-minute bombardment, Brunt led a section into an assault.

The first two houses contained two enemy soldiers, but it was the third house that provided the most resistance.

Using grenades and Tommy guns, they managed to kill eight enemy troops outside the house, as well as those inside, all belonging to the 1st Battalion, 2nd Hermann Goering Panzer Grenadier Regiment.

After thirty minutes of intense fighting, the patrol withdrew, having had one man killed and six wounded.

While the rest of the section pulled back, Brunt remained behind with his sergeant and a private to retrieve a wounded soldier.

For his actions, he was awarded the Military Cross (MC).

On 5 January 1944, Brunt was in a sick bed in a rear hospital.

He pleaded with doctors to be allowed to leave to take part in an attack, and was given permission, leading his patrol under heavy fire.

He was back in the hospital 24 hours later with concussion after a piece of shrapnel almost split his helmet, but would have carried on fighting if it had not been for a non-commissioned officer (NCO), who forcibly led him away from the front line.

At the end of the campaign, Brunt is said to have commented to his friends, "I've won the MC, now for the VC!"

Brunt's division left Italy in March 1944, and was sent to Syria and Egypt to rest and retrain, before returning to Italy in July 1944.

Having been promoted to temporary captain, Brunt was appointed second-in-command (2IC) of 'D' Company.

The battalion was part of the 138th Infantry Brigade of the 46th Infantry Division.

The division was then commanded by Major General John Hawkesworth.