Thomas Harold Broadbent Maufe
Encyclopedia
Thomas Harold Broadbent Maufe VC
(6 May 1898 - 28 March 1942) 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.
in the 124th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 4 June 1917 at Feuchy
, France
, Second Lieutenant Maufe, on his own initiative and under intense artillery fire repaired, unaided, the telephone wire between the forward and rear positions, thereby enabling his battery to open fire on the enemy. He also saved what could have been a disastrous occurrence by extinguishing a fire in an advanced ammunition dump caused by a heavy explosion, regardless of the risk he ran from the effects of gas shells in the dump.
, one of the youngest to hold that rank. After the war Maufe completed his interrupted education at Clare College, Cambridge
and the Royal School of Mines
.
Maufe served in the Home Guard as a volunteer during World War II
in 28th West Riding (Otley) Bn. He was killed in an accident with a misfiring trench mortar during training at the age of 43 on 28 March 1942 near Ilkley
. He is buried in Ilkley Cemetery.
Maufe's name is listed on a war memorial on the gates of his former prep school
, Nevill Holt
, near the village of Medbourne
, Leicestershire, along with other casualties of the World Wars.
. He married Mary Gwendolen Carr.
The family name was originally Muff but was changed to Maufe in 1909. The family owned the Bradford
department store Brown, Muff. In response to their rising fortunes they left Bradford and changed their name to Maufe, thereby inspiring the local ditty: "In Bradford 'tis good enoof/To be known as Mrs Muff/But in Ilkley by the river Wharfe/'Tis better to be known as Mrs Maufe!"
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(6 May 1898 - 28 March 1942) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
VC details
He was 19 years old, and a second lieutenantSecond Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
in the 124th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
Royal Garrison Artillery
The Royal Garrison Artillery was an arm of the Royal Artillery that was originally tasked with manning the guns of the British Empire's forts and fortresses, including coastal artillery batteries, the heavy gun batteries attached to each infantry division, and the guns of the siege...
during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 4 June 1917 at Feuchy
Feuchy
Feuchy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming and light industrial village situated east of Arras, at the junction of the D37 and D258 roads, in the valley of the Scarpe river....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Second Lieutenant Maufe, on his own initiative and under intense artillery fire repaired, unaided, the telephone wire between the forward and rear positions, thereby enabling his battery to open fire on the enemy. He also saved what could have been a disastrous occurrence by extinguishing a fire in an advanced ammunition dump caused by a heavy explosion, regardless of the risk he ran from the effects of gas shells in the dump.
Further information
By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of majorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
, one of the youngest to hold that rank. After the war Maufe completed his interrupted education at Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College, Cambridge
Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1326, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. Clare is famous for its chapel choir and for its gardens on "the Backs"...
and the Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines
Royal School of Mines comprises the departments of Earth Science and Engineering, and Materials at Imperial College London.- History :The Royal School of Mines was established in 1851, as the Government School of Mines and Science Applied to the Arts...
.
Maufe served in the Home Guard as a volunteer during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 28th West Riding (Otley) Bn. He was killed in an accident with a misfiring trench mortar during training at the age of 43 on 28 March 1942 near Ilkley
Ilkley
Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in West Yorkshire, in the north of England. Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the metropolitan borough of Bradford. Approximately north of Bradford, the town lies mainly on the south bank of the River Wharfe...
. He is buried in Ilkley Cemetery.
Maufe's name is listed on a war memorial on the gates of his former prep school
Preparatory school (UK)
In English language usage in the former British Empire, the present-day Commonwealth, a preparatory school is an independent school preparing children up to the age of eleven or thirteen for entry into fee-paying, secondary independent schools, some of which are known as public schools...
, Nevill Holt
Nevill Holt
Nevill Holt is a hamlet and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated at about northeast of Market Harborough and northwest of Corby and lies close to the borders with Northamptonshire and Rutland. It lies on the north side of the Welland valley...
, near the village of Medbourne
Medbourne
Medbourne is a village in Leicestershire.Each year it competes with nearby Hallaton during the Bottle-kicking event on Easter Monday. It is believed that Medbourne, which lay on the Gartree Road was a large market settlement at the time of Roman Britain....
, Leicestershire, along with other casualties of the World Wars.
Family
He was the son of Frederick Broadbent and Helen Mann Maufe, of Warlbeck, Ilkley, West YorkshireWest Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
. He married Mary Gwendolen Carr.
The family name was originally Muff but was changed to Maufe in 1909. The family owned the Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
department store Brown, Muff. In response to their rising fortunes they left Bradford and changed their name to Maufe, thereby inspiring the local ditty: "In Bradford 'tis good enoof/To be known as Mrs Muff/But in Ilkley by the river Wharfe/'Tis better to be known as Mrs Maufe!"