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Private Receives Victoria Cross in Operational Honours and Awards

   
In the latest Operational Honours and Awards a Victoria Cross has been awarded for the first time since 1982 to Private Johnson Gideon Beharry from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. He is the first non-postumous British Forces recipient of the Victoria Cross since 1965. Born in Grenada on 27 July 1979, Beharry came to the UK on 6th August 1999 and enlisted in the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR) in August 2001. After completing his training at the Infantry Training Centre (Catterick) he joined the first Battalion of the PWRR in March 2002.
Pte Beharry Beharry received the VC for two individual acts of great heroism that saved the lives of his comrades while under direct enemy fire.
In the early hours of 1 May 2004, the main elements of Beharry’s company moved into the troubled city of Al Amarah where they were tasked to fight through a series of ambushes to extract a foot patrol that was pinned down under sustained insurgent attacks with machine guns and rocket propelled grenades.
Rounding a corner the convoy of six Warriors saw the road ahead was empty of all civilians and traffic; a possible sign of an insurgent ambush. Beharry’s platoon commander in the lead Warrior ordered the platoon to stop and their vehicle was immediately hit by multiple rocket-propelled grenades that rocked the 30 tonne vehicle.
Both the platoon commander and the vehicle’s gunner were incapacitated by the volley of fire and soldiers in the back of the Warrior were injured. The attack had damaged the radio systems leaving Beharry unable to contact his crew or anyone else. Working on his own initiative he shut his driver’s hatch, put the vehicle in gear and shot forward down the street, stopping just short of a barricade. Again they were hammered by rocket-propelled grenade attacks from insurgents in alleys, doorways and rooftops. Explosion after explosion rocked the Warrior causing it to catch fire. Thick, black smoke filled the vehicle. Opening his hatch to clear his view Beharry still had no radio communication and desperately needed to get his crew to safety. Leading the other six Warriors, he rammed his Warrior through the barricade.
With the driver’s hatch still open, through the smoke he could see a projectile heading straight for the vehicle. Grabbing the hatch he rammed it down quickly but the blast of the grenade against the front of the armour tore the hatch out of his hand the force of the blast passing directly over him destroying his armoured periscope in the process. With the hatch up, and now exposed to enemy gunfire, Beharry drove his vehicle as fast as he could through the rest of the ambushed route some 1500 meters long. One bullet struck his helmet and lodged inside it.
Breaking free of the ambush, Beharry saw another Warrior from his company and followed it through the streets to another Coalition outpost that was also under attack followed by the rest of his platoon. Flames still poured from the Warrior as Beharry pulled up outside the outpost. He climbed onto the turret oblivious to the enemy fire and pulled his platoon commander to the safety of a nearby Warrior. He ran back to the vehicle, climbed the turret and pulled out the vehicle’s gunner, carrying him to safety as well and then returned to his vehicle leading the disorientated, shocked soldiers from the back to a safe position. Once again, he climbed back onto his vehicle and drove it into the security of the perimeter of the outpost, denying it to the enemy. Then grabbing the fire extinguishers he put the fire out and climbed into the back of another Warrior where he collapsed from physical and mental exhaustion.
The second occurrence took place on 11 June 2004 when Beharry’s Warrior was part of a quick reaction force attempting to cut off a mortar team that had attacked a Coalition Forces base in Al Amarah. Again, his vehicle was the leading Warrior in the platoon. They roared through the dark streets under the cover of night towards the suspected firing point when the Warrior was hit by enemy fire from insurgents on the rooftops.
One rocket-propelled grenade smashed into the armoured front of the vehicle six inches from Beharry’s head causing him serious head injury. Other grenades smashed into the vehicle incapacitating his commander, crew and soldiers in the back. 		CGS with other Award recipients from the PWRR
His vision obscured by blood, Beharry forcefully reversed his Warrior out of the killing zone and the vehicle continued to move until it struck a wall and Beharry lost consciousness. By doing this, he’d enabled other Warriors to come to his rescue and extract his crew safely. His level-headed actions under intense close enemy fire, despite his extremely serious head injury saved the lives of his crew and enabled them to be evacuated to safety.
During this incident Beharry received shoulder and serious head injuries. After treatment at the Shaibah Field Hospital south-west of Basrah, he was evacuated to the Royal College of Defence Medicine (RCDM) in Selly Oak, Birmingham.
In the face of relentless enemy action, Beharry displayed repeated extreme gallantry and valour despite his serious injuries and the damage to his vehicle.
 
 

The full lists of all awards for the period 1st April 2004 to 31rd November 2004 can been seen below by clicking on the appropriate country link.

(For an Explanation of why, and the circumstances under which, an award is made you can open a PDF document by Clicking here)

Iraq
Northern Ireland
Former Yugoslavia
Afghanistan
Sierra Leone
Miscellaneous Operations and Awards