who was haunted by the war for the rest of his life.

 who was haunted by the war for the rest of his life.



Lance-Corporal James Hewitson VC

James was born in Coniston in the English Lake District in October 1892. 

At the outbrHeroeak of war he was working on the family farm but enlisted on 17th November 1914.

He joined the King’s Own (Royal Lancaster) Regiment serving initially with the 8th (Service) Battalion and then the 1/4th Battalion.

He fought in many of the major battle of the war, Loos, The Somme, Messines and Passchendaele.

He was wounded three times.

During the German spring offensives in 1918 his actions at Givenchy on 26th April were recognised with the award of the Victoria Cross.

The citation read:-
“For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and daring in action.
In a daylight attack on a series of crater posts, L./Cpl. Hewitson led his party to their objective with dash and vigour, clearing the enemy from both trench and dug-outs, killing in one dug-out six of the enemy who would not surrender. After capturing the final objective, he observed a hostile machine-gun team coming into action against his men. Working his way round the edge of the crater he attacked the team, killing four and capturing one. Shortly afterwards he engaged a hostile bombing party, which was attacking a Lewis-gun post. He routed the party, killing six of them. The extraordinary feats of daring performed by this gallant N.C.O. crushed the hostile opposition at this point”.

Later that same day despite being wounded himself he carried a wounded comrade over his shoulders for two miles to a field hospital.

The medal was presented to him by King George V at a ceremony in France on 8th August 1918.

Shortly after the war he married Lizzie Dugdale and the couple had a daughter.

After a while he began to suffer from bouts of flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety all classic signs of what is today called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

As his condition worsened it was obvious that he needed help. He spent 18 years as a patient of the mental illness treatment facility, Stone House Hospital in Kent. While there he was frequently visited by his wife and family despite the great distances involved.

When he was discharged he returned to Coniston where he had various jobs working as a hedge-layer, farm labourer, road repairer and grave digger.

He had several operations to remove pieces of shrapnel from his back the last in 1954!

“Jimmy” died on 2nd March 1963 of respiratory complications following influenza in Stanley Hospital, Ulverston.

Even on his death bed the trauma he experienced during the First World War returned to haunt him. Feverish and suffering hallucinations he called out “Passchendaele” and “They’re coming to get me”.

He was buried with full military honours at St Andrew’s Church in Coniston.

Postscript
In his old age the man he had carried to safety at Givenchy turned up in Coniston having been searching for Jimmy for years. He expressed his gratitude and paid for a holiday in London for Jimmy and his wife.

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