03 June 2024
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Read in the London Gazette how Company Sergeant Major Hollis was awarded a VC for bravery DDay 6 June 1944
Just one Victoria Cross was awarded for action on D-Day 6 June 1944. Who received the VC at DDay 80 years ago & why?
What did Victoria Cross hero Company Sergeant-Major Hollis do at D-Day?
“In Normandy on 6th June, 1944, during the assault on the beaches and the Mont Fleury Battery, CSM Hollis’s Company Commander noticed that two of the pill-boxes had been by-passed, and went with CSM Hollis to see that they were clear.
“When they were 20 yards from the pillbox a machine-gun opened fire from the slit and CWM Hollis instantly rushed straight at the pillbox, firing his Sten gun.
“He jumped on top of the pillbox, re-charged his magazine, threw a grenade in through the door and fired his Sten gun into it, killing two Germans and making the remainder prisoner.”
Later that same day saw CWM Hollis's right cheek grazed by a sniper bullet, and still volunteered to go and rescue two of his men in ‘full view of the enemy who were continually firing at him’.
These are just snippets of the details from Hollis's actions on D-Day 6 June 1044. He was the only person to be awarded the VC for action on D-Day.
Read the London Gazette report of Hollis's bravery
Read the full account of Company Sergeant-Major Stanley Elton Hollis, and how he came to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery ‘which saved the lives of many of his men’ in the supplement to the London Gazette published 15 August 1944. (Page 3807 | Supplement 36658, 15 August 1944).
Find out more about D-Day VC hero
The Imperial War Museum also provides a detailed history of Stan Hollis's actions on D-Day: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/stan-hollis-and-the-d-day-victoria-cross
Join in & remember - 'How do I find a DDay80 beacon near me?'
On 6 June 2024 villages, towns and communities across the UK will be remembering the World War 2 service personnel who fought at D-Day 80 years ago. Find a DDay80 beacon near you
How to trace a Victoria Cross recipient
Learn about the Register of Victoria Cross recipients, 1856-1944 at The National Archives' website
Find a list of Victoria Cross recipients of World War I on The Gazette
Find a list of Victoria Cross recipients of World War II on The Gazette
Read our free guide: how to trace an ancestor at the D-Day Normandy Landings
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