Person    | Male  Born 19/1/1896  Died 8/7/1988

Captain Ferdinand West, VC

War served, WW1 i

Commemorated on a memorial as having served in, and survived, WW1.

Aviator. Born Ferdinand Maurice Felix West in Paddington. Known as Freddie, he enlisted in the army at the outbreak of WW1 and transferred to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. On the 12th August 1918, while searching for the enemy's positions, he spotted a German troop concentration. He almost immediately came under attack and was hit in the leg. He managed to manoeuvre his plane so that his observer was able to fire several gunshots into the enemy machines, which drove them away. He twisted his trouser leg into a tourniquet to stem the flow of blood from his wounds, and although in excruciating agony, insisted on reporting his findings. His left leg had five wounds, and had to be amputated. He was invalided back to Britain, where he learned that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross.

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Captain Ferdinand West, VC

Commemorated ati

Ferdinand West VC

{Beneath an image of a Victoria Cross medal:} Captain Ferdinand West, Royal A...

Read More

Other Subjects

Giovanni Capuccini
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
George Cruikshank

George Cruikshank

Engraver, caricaturist and illustrator, best known for his political caricatures and for his illustrations for Charles Dickens novels. His father, Isaac, and brother, Robert, were also illustrators...

Person, Art

3 memorials
B. F. Garrad

B. F. Garrad

Resident of Golders Green killed serving in WW2.

Person

War dead, WW2
1 memorial
Glynn Jones
War dead, WW1
1 memorial
G. Stacey

G. Stacey

J. Lyons & Co. Ltd. staff member who died in WW1.

Person, Armed Forces

War dead, WW1
1 memorial