The Forgotten Heroes Of World War I

The Men And Women Who Saved The World

Although WWI ended over 100 years ago, it continues to define history in many ways. Each generation that has followed has learned of it; here are some of the heroes from the conflict.

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Alvin York

Alvin York has been painted as the quintessential American. His mountain upbringing served him well regarding the European fronts of WWI.

Alvin C. York 1919 in uniform Copyright Underwood & Underwood, Wikimedia Commons

Alvin York

Despite not initially wishing to participate in the conflict, Sergeant Alvin York became one of America’s heroes. He took on a nest of Germans almost single-handedly and earned the Medal of Honor for it.

Sergeant Alvin C. York at a hill in uniform Pfc. F.C. Phillips, Wikimedia Commons

Billy Sing

Private Billy Sing was an Australian marksman who had great success at the Battle of Gallipoli. He is recorded as having successfully taken down at least 150 Turkish forces.

Billy Sing in uniform L42A1, Wikimedia Commons

Elizabeth Knocker & Mairi Chisholm

Elizabeth Knocker and Mairi Chisholm did not wait to be given orders. They set up a First Aid Post near the Belgian front, saving lives at the risk of their own.

Elsie Knocker and Mairi Chisholm, nurses in WW1 The Illustrated War News, Wikimedia Commons

Sgt Robert Spall

Sergeant Robert Spall received the Victoria Cross. He earned it by defending his platoon against enemy fire, despite isolation and presumed failure.

Robert Spall in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Frank Luke

Frank Luke was cocky and reckless. He wasn’t liked by his fellow piolets. He was also one of the best. Few could beat him when it came to downing German reconnaissance balloons. However, his attitude got in the way.

Frank Luke, American fighter ace in World War I in uniform U.S. Army Air Corps, Wikimedia Commons

Frank Luke

Luke did not respect the authority of his commanders. He ignored orders. On September 29, he ignored a grounding he got and took to the air anyway; he was mortally wounded during this mission and did not survive.

Frank Luke in uniform SDASM Archives, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Alan Jerrard

Alan Jerrard was flying over Italy in March 1918 when he came under fire. His plane was hit 163 times. Despite this, Jerrard carried on.

Second Lieutenant Alan Jerrard, South Staffordshire Regiment in uniform Anonymous, Wikimedia Commons

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Lt Col Philip Eric Bent

Lt Col Philip Eric Bent was a man of action. While under fire, he did not retreat, but he took charge. He collected a platoon that was in retreat and organized a successful counter-offensive despite the chaos around them.

Philip Bent in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Henry Johnson

During WWI, the “Harlem Hellfighters” were among the first Americans to arrive in Europe. They were famous for their skill and passion. None are as famous as Henry Johnson.

Henry Lincoln Johnson in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Henry Johnson

In May 1918, Johnson and fellow Hellfighter Needham Roberts were surprised by approximately 20 Germans. Both were quickly wounded; Roberts couldn’t stand or shoot. It was all on Henry Johnson.

Henry Johnson in uniform WW1 Kelly Miller, Wikimedia Commons

Henry Johnson

Johnson fought until his weapon jammed. He then turned to his club, fighting until it broke. Finally, he fended off the Germans with his last tool, a bolo blade. With just his bolo and his determination, he saved himself and Roberts.

William Henry Johnson And Needham Roberts In 1918 Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Baron Manfred Von Richthofen

Known as “The Red Baron”, Baron Manfred von Richthofen is likely the best-known flying ace around the world. He was credited with 80 hits before being taken down.

Manfred von Richthofen in uniform Nicola Perscheid, Wikimedia Commons

Edith Cavell

Edith Cavell signed up for the effort as soon as she could. She felt it was her duty. She made it clear she helped all wounded, no matter their nationality. She was executed by the Germans for saving others.

Edith Cavell nurse in WW1 Vivedatica, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Edward Donald Bellew

Lt Edward Donald Bellew received the Victoria Cross for his valor in battle. Despite being surrounded, he fought until capture. In his last moments before being surrounded, he smashed his weapon to avoid the Germans getting a hold of it.

Edward Donald Bellew in uniform Canadian Govt, Wikimedia Commons

Charles Whittlesey

The odds were against Major Charles Whittlesey. In October 1918, he and his men became cut off, surrounded and isolated in enemy territory. Whittlesey and his men were on their own.

Charles W. Whittlesey - WWI Medal of Honor recipient in uniform United States Army, Wikimedia Commons

Charles Whittlesey

Having not intended to be trapped, they did not have the proper supplies. Still, Whittlesey held strong, refusing to surrender even when given the opportunity.

Charles W. Whittlesey speaking to another soldier War Department. Army War College. Historical Section., Wikimedia Commons

Anibal Milhais

Anibal Milhais is the most decorated Portuguese soldier of WWI. He single-handedly withstood two German assaults, coming out of them successfully.

Aníbal Augusto Milhais (1895-1970), the most decorated Portuguese soldier J. Fernandes (c.1900), Wikimedia Commons

Captain Noel Chavasse

Only three people have been awarded the Victoria Cross twice, and only one person was awarded it twice during WWI. That man was Captain Noel Chavasse.

Noel Godfrey Chavasse in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Captain Noel Chavasse

Chavasse was first awarded the Victoria Cross for valor during the Battle of the Somme. Despite being injured, Chavasse continued to fight, saving the lives of 20 men. It was a habit he’d continue to exhibit.

Battle of the Somme Royal Engineers No 1 Printing Company., Wikimedia Commons

Captain Noel Chavasse

Chavasse would not survive his second heroics. During the battle of Passchendaele, Chavasse was again injured and again refused to stop fighting. He’d pass a few days later when his first aid post was hit.

Awards earned by Noel Chavasse Hu Nhu, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Cpl Colin Fraser Barron

Corporal Colin Fraser Barron made a distinction near Passchendaele. He took a group of German machine guns single-handedly, surviving himself while inflicting damage on others.

Colin Fraser Barron in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Edouard Izac

Edouard Izac was captured when his ship went down. What the Germans who captured him did know now was that Izac could speak German. They were dropping valuable information right in front of him.

Edouard Izac in uniform Harris & Ewing, Wikimedia Commons

Edouard Izac

Izac was determined to ensure that he got this information home. He staged several attempts to break out of his POW camp, finally succeeding. He then spent days crawling through enemy territory to get back and share his information.

Edouard Izac in uniform Navy Department Library, Wikimedia Commons

Ernst Udet

The Germans were known for their flying aces during WWI. After the famed Red Baron, Ernst Udet was their next great flyer.

Ernst Udet with his plane Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Elsie Maud Inglis

A qualified surgeon, Elsie Maud Inglis offered her services to the Royal Army Medical Corp… only to be told to go home. So Inglis did go home—though, she didn’t rest when she got there.

Portrait of Elsie Inglis in jacket Lady Francis Balfour, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Elsie Maud Inglis

Inglis returned to Scotland and set up her own Women’s Hospital that provided nurses, doctors, cooks, and ambulance drives to any place in need. Hundreds of men were saved because Inglis didn’t back down.

Phototgraph Of Dr. Elsie Maud Inglis At Saragea Unknown Author, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Wallace Lloyd Algie

The biggest danger most fighters faced was artillery fire. During an advance, Lt Wallace Lloyd Algie charged ahead with nine men, disabling two enemy machine artillery, and clearing the way for his men behind him.

Lieutenant Wallace Lloyd Algie, 20th Battalion, 1st Central Ontario Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Dan Daly

Dan Daly was a decorated when WWI started. He’d won the Medal of Honor twice already. Daly knew no fear; he spent WWI constantly charging into dangerous situations to aid his fellow men.

Daniel Daly being awarded Underwood & Underwood, Wikimedia Commons

Lance Corporal William Coltman

Lance Corporal William Coltman took the phrase “leave no man behind” to heart. He went back into enemy territory three times to collect wounded men that had been left, before tending to them for the next 48 hours.

William Coltman in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Raymond Harvy Lodge Joseph De Montmorency

Lt Raymond Harvy Lodge Joseph de Montmorency was another man who did not leave anyone behind. He went back for a fallen soldier during battle, risking his own life to do so.

Raymond de Montmorency in uniform Charleton, Newbridge, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Raymond Harvy Lodge Joseph De Montmorency

He also caught the eye of another famous figure: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle once called him “one of the most promising of the younger officers of the British Army”.

Arthur Conan Doyle By Walter Benington, 1914 Walter Benington, Wikimedia Commons

Mary O’Connell Bianconi

Mary O’Connell Bianconi was an ambulance driver who did not understand the definition of stop. In July 1918 she worked for hours, constantly under fire, to save the lives of the wounded.

ww1 ambulance Imperial War Museums, Picryl

Lt James Edward Tait

Lt James Edward Tait risked his life for his men. He encouraged them to move forward despite intense fire. When the enemy continued to cause casualties among his men, he charged them alone to stem the fire.

James Tait's Victoria Cross Rkonigs, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Colonel William Barker

Lieutenant Colonel William Barker is known for taking part in what is often believed to be the most one-sided “dogfight” of WWI. He fought against a fleet of German biplanes, taking them on single-handedly.

William George Barker in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Colonel William Barker

The odds were not on Barker’s side, but he didn’t back down. Despite being outnumbered, Barker took on a fleet of German biplanes, managing to hit four despite being shot himself.

William George Barker in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Pte James Peter Robertson

Pte James Peter Robertson took charge of his fellow men. They were under fire, and could not move forward. He charged a firing artillery, and overtook the crew himself, ensuring they could succeed.

James Peter Robertson VC, Canadian Expeditionary Force, World War I. Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Pte James Peter Robertson

That wasn’t all. Pte Robertson didn’t leave anyone behind. He later went to rescue two wounded men; Robertson did not survive returning with the second man.

World War I soldiers Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

Lt Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson

Lt Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson did not leave men behind. After successfully covering his men’s movements, he made two attempts to save a wounded man. He perished on his second attempt.

Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson in uniform Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons

John “Jack” Cornwell

Jack Cornwell is the youngest man to be awarded the Victoria Cross during WWI. He remained at his post, despite being severely wounded and under fire. He was only 16 years old and would pass due to those wounds.