Private James Duffy
6th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers
(1889 – 1969)
Kereina Peak, Palestine – December 27th, 1917:
In the fall of 1917, the British forces were engaged against another member of the Central Powers, the Ottoman Empire. As part of their Middle East operations, the British were able to push the Turks back and capture the city of Jerusalem.
As a stretcher-bearer, Duffy went back and forth during the battle to wounded men. He continued rescuing men even after his stretcher partner was wounded, and he had to work alone (1).
A copy of the London Gazette describing these actions and announcing his V.C. win can be found here
After the War:
Although he came from Ireland (and not the Unionist North), Duffy was “publicly proud of his British Army connections” (2).
This pride in his service for the Crown, combined with him living in Ireland at the time, made him the recipient of death threats from the IRA and kidnapped in 1921 (3).
- Duke of Gloucester greets James Duffy, 1952 (left).
- Duffy continued to attend V.C. events, despite IRA threats, such as this one in Hyde Park, 1956.
For those interested in the Centenary Event, a full list of V.C. winners present can be found here
In the collective memory and commemorations, Duffy stands closer with England than his native Ireland.
(1). Richard Doherty and David Truesdale, Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Dublin: Four Courts Press, 2000), 130.
(2). Gavin Hughes, Fighting Irish: The Irish Regiments in the First World War (Sallins: Merrion Press, 2015), 150.
(3). Gerald Gliddon, VCs of the First World War: The Sideshows (Stroud: The History Press, 2014), 210.