Allegiance United Kingdom Role Armed force officer Years of service 1893 - 1923 | Rank Lieutenant Colonel Service/branch British Army Name Daniel Burges | |
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Buried at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol Commands held 7th Battalion The South Wales Borderers Battles/wars Second Boer War
First World War Died October 24, 1946, Bristol, United Kingdom Awards Victoria Cross, Distinguished Service Order, Croix de Guerre Battles and wars Second Boer War, World War I Similar People Vladimir Vazov, Hardy Falconer Parsons, James Carne, William Edgar Holmes | ||
Place of burial Bristol, United Kingdom | ||
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Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Burges, VC, DSO (1 July 1873 – 24 October 1946) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
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Biography
Burges was educated at Winchester College. He was commissioned an officer in the Fife Artillery Militia, a Militia regiment based in Cupar, Fifeshire, where he was promoted to lieutenant on 6 September 1899. The regiment was embodied for active service in South Africa from May to October 1900, during the Second Boer War. Burges stayed in South Africa until the end of the war in June 1902, and returned to Southampton on the SS Arundel two months later.
He was 45 years old, and a temporary lieutenant-colonel in The Gloucestershire Regiment commanding the 7th (S) Battalion, The South Wales Borderers, British Army, during the First World War at the Battle of Doiran when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 18 September 1918 at Jumeaux, in the Balkans, valuable reconnaissance of the enemy front line trenches enabled Lieutenant Colonel Burges to bring his battalion, without casualties, to the assembly point, but later while some distance from the objective they came under severe machine-gun fire. Although he himself was wounded the colonel continued to lead his men with skill and courage until he was hit again twice and fell unconscious. He was taken prisoner by the Bulgarians, but was abandoned in a dug-out with one of his legs shattered.
In retirement Burges served as major of the Tower of London from 1 July 1923 to 1 July 1933.
A marble plaque was unveiled at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol, on 24 October 2006 (which was 60 years to the day he died) by Les Turner.
He later joined the British Fascists.