Lieut. Dease and Fusilier Godley share the distinction of having been awarded the first Victoria Crosses of World War One. Their action took place on the 23rd of August 1914 in the first major clash between the Germans and British.
The 4th Battalion Royal Fusiliers had marched rapidly to Mons on the 22nd August and had taken up a position along the line on the canal between Conde and Binche with Mons to their rear. There were a number of crossing places on the canal, one of which was the Nimy Bridge, which was allocated to a rifle company and a heavy machine gun to hold.
Serious fighting started at dawn on the 23rd and by 8 a.m. with the canal crossings under increasing artillery bombardment, the first German infantry assault was launched and beaten off. Masses of Germans then fanned out into the plantations opposite the Nimy Bridge and started to lay down heavy rifle and machine gun fire. The Commanding Officer of the Royal Fusiliers committed two further reserve platoons to to the bridge area to assist in the defence.
The vital ground for the Fusilier Company was the sandbagged Maxim Machine Gun on the bridge which was able to sweep the enemy on the far bank with sustained heavy fire. It was commanded by Lt Dease who had been hit thrice in the early action, was severely wounded. Seeing the need for more men to fire the gun Fusilier Godley volunteered and clambered into the gun-pit where he took over the weapon. Dease by now had been hit five times and was in a critical condition but insisted he had to stay with his command and help to target enemy and assist as he could.
Godley was now single handed, the remainder of the machine gun section dead or wounded. For a further two hours he held the position with long bursts of fire, during which he was wounded twice.
By 11a.m. it was clear that the British could not hold the canal and preparations were made to withdraw under fire. This is a difficult operation and is dependant on the outer defence line holding until the last possible minute. A great deal of responsibility therefore fell to Godley. The 4th Bn. Royal Fusiliers managed somehow to get back across 250 yards of open ground into the town of Mons as Godley fought on.
He finally ran out of ammunition and with a final act of defiance, stripped down the machine gun and threw the parts into the canal.
During the withdrawal Lt. Dease was carried by his comrades to the edge of Mons where he died of his wounds. Fusilier Godley was captured and spent the rest of the war in a German Hospital and then as a prisoner of war.
This is the master sculpture with as little way to go. It gives a good impression of how the sculpture will finally look. It will be one of the limited edition V.C. collection.
