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| Bridgeton's war hero
Pte.Henry May page 1 of 5 |
and first Glaswegian to be awarded the VC in the 1st World War
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The
Victoria Cross
is the
highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy
that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
The Victoria Cross has been bestowed
1,355 times since 1854.
( at year 2005 )
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His parents William & Maggie May
married on 13th
August 1879
in Bridgeton, Glasgow.
Henry was born 29th
July 1885 at 7.00am,
246 Nuneaton Street, (now demolished)
Bridgeton, Glasgow.
He attended Dalmarnock Public School in Bridgeton
and enlisted in the Army on 29th August 1902
at the age of seventeen.
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World War
I.......Story behind the VC award:
Private Henry May was a member of the 1st Battalion Cameronians
(Scottish Rifles).
At daybreak on 22nd October 1914 Henry May was in a platoon under
the command of Lt.D.A.H.Graham. This Platoon was acting as covering
party in a ditch to hold the enemy in check while the main part of the
Cameronians entrenched positions about 700 yards to the rear. This took
place on the eastern side of the village of La Boutillerie, France.
During this time the Germans who were only 50 yards to the front of the
platoon, attacked them in force which resulted in them falling back, but
not before the trench-digging to the rear was completed.
During the fighting L/Cpl Lawton had been wounded, about a hundred
yards to the right of Pte.May who quickly ran across the firing line
through a hail of bullets. L/Cpl James McCall and Pte.James Bell
went with Pte.May to assist. Pte.Bell took off the wounded L/Cpl Lawton's
equipment but he was shot dead as Pte.May and L/Cpl.McCall tried to lift
him to his feet. L/Cpl.McCall too was knocked unconscious and Pte.May then
flattened himself to the ground determined to fight to the last.
At that moment he saw his platoon commander, Lt Graham fall to the ground
with a bullet in his leg. Pte.May called Pte.Bell to follow and they ran
over to their officer; the two men carried him step by step, zig-zagging
as they stumbled on. When they had covered about 300 yards they reached a
ditch where Pte.Bell was shot in the hand and foot but they managed
eventually to reach safety.
Pte.May was exhausted but struggled to drag Lt.Graham a little nearer
safety when Cpl.Taylor came to his assistance. Lt.Graham, who had
lost a lot of blood by this time ordered the two men to return to their
lines but they disobeyed him. Cpl.Taylor lifted Lt.Graham onto his
shoulders but was then shot dead. Pte.May by some supreme effort, then
dragged the wounded officer to the British trenches and safety. Pte May's
heroism and utter disregard for the safety of his own life was in the true
tradition of the holders of the Victoria
Cross.
On 2nd of November 1914, eleven days after Pte.May won his VC, he was
wounded by shrapnel during the attacks on the town of Ypres. He was
attended to at a base hospital before being invalided home. He was home
with his family in Glasgow in time for Christmas. In mid-January 1915 he
departed once more for France, and back to the bloody war.. His
VC was gazetted four months later on 19th April 1915.
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Photo from Daily Record
and Mail, Tuesday, April 20 1915
 Extract
from Daily Record and Mail, April 20th 1915
Pte. Henry May ( 1st Cameronians ) who has been
awarded the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery on October 22 last
year. Our photograph shows Private May, his wife and one of his three
children.
One of the 'Daily Record and Mail' representatives had the pleasing duty
of conveying the glad tidings to Mrs.May.
Naturally she was delighted that the coveted distinction had been awarded
to her husband, but one thing she would have preferred even before the
Victoria Cross, as she frankly phrased it, " would be him comin' in
that door as weel as when he left."
Many woman with husbands at the war will appreciate the sentiment thus
expressed. Private May has his home at 38 Colvend Street, Bridgeton,
Glasgow, a quiet thoroughfare in the neighbourhood of Main Street and
adjacent to the bridge which connects with the Rutherglen side of the
river. He has a family of three, the eldest being a sunny little lady of
six summers, and the youngest, of the same sex, eighteen months. The
hero is 29 years of age, and is known in several of the factories in the
East-end.
[Photgraph - Christina & Henry May with their third child Margaret,who
was born 12 Jan 1914.]
( To see the full article from this 1915 newspaper
click here )
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His Life...
Henry was a reservist and was also a tenter (weaver's assistent) with Forest Frew &
Company, muslin manufacturers close to Rutherglen Bridge, Bridgeton,
Glasgow. As a reservist he joined the colours at the outbreak of war.
After his VC was gazetted, he was told that he was entitled to return home
for a short respite.  He arrived in Glasgow Central
Train Station at
19.45 hours on Saturday 31st July 1915 and was met by a representative of
the Lord Provost and by friends and former colleagues of Forrest
Frew's mill.
After leaving the train he was briefly carried shoulder high
by the enthusiastic crowd.
On 4th August Henry was invited to a civil reception and in replying to
the toast he said, "I feel proud to be present. I only did what
any other soldier would have done. Plenty of men have equalled what
I did." A week later he addressed a group of Clyde munition
workers during a dinner break, telling them, "Stick to your work
for the sake of our boys in the trenches."
On the 12th August he travelled to London to be presented with his VC
from the king at Buckingham Palace. After the ceremony he was mobbed again
by an eager crowd keen to shake him by the hand.
Henry was discharged from the Army on 28th August 1915 when his regular
engagement of thirteen years had expired. He rejoined in 1918 and attained
the rank of Lieutenant.
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 King George V gave an Afternoon Party at Buckingham
Palace on the 26th June 1920 to Recipients of the Victoria Cross. His Majesty was accompanied by The Queen and
Members of the Royal Family. The Victoria Cross Recipients assembled at Wellington Barracks, and
marched to the Garden of the Palace via Birdcage Walk, Horse Guards Parade and The Mall preceded by the Band
of the Welsh Guards.
The King inspected the VC Recipients, who afterwards filed past His
Majesty, and had the honour of being
presented to The King and Queen.......Oor Henry was there!
(The official list gave his rank mistakenly as Pte.May)
Extract
from Daily Record and Mail, June 28th 1920
Never in the nation's history has such a
spectacle been presented as was witnessed at Buckingham Place on Saturday
afternoon, when 324 heroes, all decorated with the Victoria
Cross - soldiers and sailors who had won the award for valour during
Britain's many wars of 61 years - were entertained by their King at
a garden party at the Palace.
And Scotland was well represented in that memorable and impressive
gathering. The men marched in stately files across the lawn to be received
by the King and Queen. The little bronze Cross was the only passport
required for this unique function.
Each soldier and sailor was allowed to invite two relatives or friends,
and in all, about a thousand persons were admitted to the grounds.
( see newspaper article from
1920
)
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After the war.....
After the war he joined a hosiery firm the Glasgow Manufacturing Company
in which he became a partner.
Many years later he took ill in his home and died in Glasgow Royal
Infirmary on 26th July 1941 just days before his 56th birthday. He
left a widow, Christina and four children.
His home address then was No.903 Cumbernauld Road, Riddrie, Glasgow.
His
funeral took place at Riddrie Park Cemetary, Glasgow and was the largest
seen in the East-end for a long time. The commanding officer of the Cameronians, Colonel C.B.Vandaleur
attended the funeral along with four holders of the VC:
 Sergeant John McAuley VC, DCM, 1st Battalion Scots Guards.
Sergeant Robert Downie VC, 2nd Battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers
Private David Lauder VC, 4th Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers
Drum-Major Walter Ritchie VC, 2nd Battalion Seaforth Highlanders.
( see newspaper article on his death from
1941
)
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Henry is buried and has a
family headstone at Riddrie Park Cemetery, Glasgow, Section B. Lair 146.
His VC is on display at the
Cameronians Museum, Hamilton
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| Footnote :- Henry May's former
platoon commander Lt.D.A.H. Graham whose life he saved, later
became a Major General winning the DSO and the MC. He eventually became
Colonel of the regiment! |
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WEBMASTER : What an honour!
Sadly I know of no memorial to this man in Bridgeton but I am honoured that I can pay tribute to this 1st World War hero
and remind the world about this Bridgeton boy
in my website.
Over 20,000 Glaswegians were killed during World War 1, these men
died in some of the bloodiest battles ever fought in the history of modern
warfare. |
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| COMMENTS
FROM MY GUESTBOOK |
Extract from e-mail Dec.2002, Iain
Stewart
"A
year ago I was contacted by the Secretary of the "Cameronians"
Scottish Rifles
Memorial Club, who was under the impression Henry
May was buried
in an unmarked grave in Riddrie Park Cemetery. I was able to
tell him that Henry May is buried in the same grave as
his two children, whose names appear on the headstone, but May's
does not. I have a book showing a b/w picture of the headstone which
displays the word 'May' on the base.
Note that Henry May died in 1942 and from previous research into VC
holders that died of natural causes during WWII, a number were buried in
unmarked graves or had headstones that were not marked. I
can only assume that owing to WW II call-up there was a severe shortage
of stonemasons during the war. This could be the reason why
May's name does not appear on the headstone. I've
just had a look at your website and it is very pleasing that you have
a site on 'old east-end of Glasgow', it makes reading it a very personal
experience. I'll add your Henry May webpage to my 'Links'
page later this
week"
WEBMASTER :
Any information you need to know about the Victoria
Cross can be found at Iain's website....a
truly wonderful, historical archive.
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Extract from e-mail Dec.2002,
Ron McPhee, London, England
"Aye
Webmaster, ye have fair did the big fella proud, and to think that he went
to your school, ye must have walked on the same boards as he did, a great
story, Fair brings a lump tae yer throat, I wonder if the
descendants are around.......... a great bit of work!"
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Extract from e-mail 26th.Dec.2002,
Charlie McDonald, Glasgow, Scotland
"Excellent
bit on Henry May VC. He still has relatives living in the Parkhead area he
was the great uncle of Helen Hall and Marion Hall who both went to
Riverside School in the 1960's. His great nephew George Hall lives below
me in Whitby Street. His gravestone is broken and we intend to get it
restored and his name and Victoria Cross engraved on it sometime in the
summer 2003."
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| Extract from e-mail
5th.Dec.2003, L/Cpl Murray, Aldershot, England
"I
was delighted to find your article on my great great grandfather
Henry May who won the VC in WW1. I am currently researching his life
and achievement and would also like to set up some sort of memorial to
him. I am currently serving in the armed forces and have just returned
from Iraq which has inspired me to research into him.
Many kind thanks, L/CPL Murray, 101 MWD SP Unit, Buller Bks,
Aldershot, GU11 2DQ"
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Extract from e-mail
26th.Jan.2004, Joe Carr,
Cornwall, England
"...hope the Glesga Pals website goes on forever it has given
so much joy to my sisters and myself. I hope to write to you again soon
with info on Nuneaton St, Gretna St, Plaza Cinema, Springfield &
Riverside schools. I was born in Gretna Street.
Both Henry May VC and my uncle Jim from Nuneaton Street served in the
Cameronians as I did from 1954-56. My uncle was killed in action 20th
Oct. 1918. I have a website showing some of my
army photos it would interest those who served in the
1950's all photos were taken with my first camera."
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| Extract from e-mail
3rd May.2004, Annette Hall, Glasgow, Scotland (
e-mail tba )
"...my dads gran was Henry May's wifes sister his name is
Thomas Hall his grans name was Marion Dewar I really enjoyed your website and have printed most of
its pages to show the rest of our family."
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Extract from
guestbook 11 June 2005, Morag Catania, Toronto, Canada. aged
56 (
e-mail tba )
I
was researching Harry May and the victoria cross. He was my mother's
second cousin (her grandmother was Harry's aunt). She has made a family
tree with names and dates, including Harry's parents, uncles, cousins and
grandfather. Harry's sister Sarah married a David Lawson and they had two
boys who died very young. His sister Molly married and had twins, my
mother does not remember the names. Nessie married Bob Greene (my mother
spelled it with an e) and they had a daughter, Heather. My mother's name
is Sarah May Douglas, nee Anderson.
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