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Sergeant
William Cosgrove V.C. - East Cork's greatest World
War hero
William Cosgrove was born at Aghada, Co Cork on October
1st 1888, the son of Michael and Mary Cosgrove.
He had four brothers, Dan, Ned, David, Joseph and a sister
Mary-Catherine. While they were still young their father
emigrated to Australia, but later returned. In the meantime
his wife moved with her children to a cottage in nearby
Peafield, the children attended school at the National School,
Ballinrostig. William began work at an early age as an apprentice
butcher at Whitegate and one of his daily chores was an
early morning delivery to Fort Carlisle (now Fort Davis)
with a consignment of meat for the troops. It was from Fort
Carlisle that he joined the army.
He enlisted in the Royal Munster Fusiliers on March 24th,
1909 and was given the regimental number 8980. Life in the
army for William up to 1914 would appear to have been very
mundane, but the declaration of war in August, 1914 drastically
changed all that. At the outbreak of war the 1st Battalion
of the Munster’s was stationed in Rangoon, Burma, as
regular battalions were regularly stationed overseas. They
left Rangoon on the 21st of November, 1914 and with them
came Corporal William Cosgrove and landed in England on
January 10th, 1915, still in their Indian issue uniforms
and stood on the quays shivering in their khaki drill shorts.
The battalion was then assigned to the 86th Brigade of the
29th Division, in preparation for the landings at the Dardanelles.
The 1st Munsters together with the 1st Battalion Royal Dublin
Fusiliers and Hampshire Regiment were on the converted collier
‘River Clyde’ when it ran gently ashore at ‘V’
beach on the 25th of April 1915 at 06.20am. On departing
from the ship they were subject to the most ferocious enfilading
machine gun fire from the Turks. Some of the Battalion’s
finest men fell at this stage of the battle, those who managed
to get ashore could not advance due to this withering Turkish
fire. On the following day it was decided to destroy the
wire entanglements facing the men that the naval bombardment
had failed to do. It was during this attack that Cpl. Cosgrove
1st RMF, performed the action that was to earn him the regiment’s
first Victoria Cross of the war. The action is best described
by Cosgrove himself.
“Our job was to dash ahead, face the trenches, bristling
with rifle and machine guns and destroy the wire entanglements.
Fifty men were entailed for the work, poor Sergeant-Major
Bennett led us, but was killed, a bullet through the brain.
I then took charge, shouted to the boys to come on, from
the village near at hand came terrible fire to swell the
murderous hall of bullets from the trenches. Some of us
got close to the wire and we started to cut it with a pliers,
you might as well try and snip Cloyne round tower with a
scissors.” He then grabbed hold of the stakes holding
the barbed wire, “I dashed at the first one, heaved
and strained and it came into my arms … I believe there
was wild cheering when they saw what I was at, but I only
heard the screech of bullets and saw dirt rising all round
from where they hit. I could not tell you how many I pulled
up. I did my best and the boys around me were every bit
as good as myself.”
He was also wounded during this action and was promoted
to Sergeant and saw no further action due to his wound,
which was a contributing factor in his early death later
on.
The award of the V.C. was gazetted on August 23rd, 1915,
it stated that it was awarded “For most conspicuous
bravery leading this section with great dash during our
attack from the beach to the east of Cape Helles on the
Turkish positions on April 26th, 1915. Cpl Cosgrove on this
occasion pulled down the posts of the enemy’s high
wire entanglements single-handed, notwithstanding a terrible
fire from both front and flank, thereby greatly contributing
to the successful clearing of the heights.” He was
described by Surgeon P.Burrowes-Kelly, RN.,D.S.O.,as an
“Irish giant” and by a person from Aghada who
remembered him “As a very shy man who hated to be fussed
over.”
He transferred to the Royal Fusiliers in 1918 to the Leinster
Regiment in 1920, the Norththumberland Fusiliers in 1922
and later went as an Instructor to the Indian Territorial
Force in 1928 to become 7042223 Staff Sgt Instructor. He
came home in 1935 pending discharge to pension, unfortunately
his plans were all to go wrong. He was admitted to Millbank
hospital, but took discharge before he was fit. After a
short leave in Cork, he returned to London, where he was
admitted to Middlesex hospital. He was later transferred
to Millbank hospital, where he died on 21st July, 1936.
His body was conveyed from London to Fishguard by road en
route to Upper Aghada for interment in his native place.
About five hundred members of the O.C.A. of the R.M.F.,
met the vessle at Penrose-Quay, Cork, and formed a guard
of honour as the coffin was being taken from the boat to
the waiting hearse. The grand salute was also sounded, the
guard of honour standing to attention bare-headed. The cortege
then proceeded by road to Aghada. When the remains reached
Upper Aghada, the coffin was removed from the hearse and
shouldered by members of the Cork O.C.A., and local people
to the burial place. The last post was sounded, while other
ex-army men stood to attention. It was stated that it is
an unusual spectacle in those days and many people were
visibly moved. When the interment had taken place, this
simple ceremony closed the chapter in the life of a great
Irish soldier, “An Irish giant … a shy man who
hated to be fussed over.”
On the 16th of June, 1940, the O.C.A., of the Royal Munster
Fusiliers unveiled a memorial over the grave.
In 1972, Cosgrove’s V.C., was sold for a record price
£2,300 to a private collector. When questioned about
the high price which the medal fetched, the auctioneer replied
“When one buys a gallantry medal, it is not just the
medal one buys, but the act that won it. William Cosgrove’s
Victoria Cross together with his other medals was sold recently
by a London auction house – they realised over €200,000.-
courtesy of The Avondhu, December 2007
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