Arthur Borton
Arthur Drummond Borton | |
---|---|
Born | Cheveney,Kent | 1 July 1883
Died | 5 January 1933 Southwold, Suffolk | (aged 49)
Buried | |
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | British Army Royal Navy |
Years of service | 1902–1908 1914–1919 |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Commander |
Unit |
|
Battles/wars | |
Awards | |
Relations | GeneralArthur Borton(grandfather) Air Vice MarshalAmyas Borton(brother) |
Lieutenant ColonelArthur Drummond BortonVC,CMG,DSO(1 July 1883 – 5 January 1933) was an English recipient of theVictoria Cross,the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British andCommonwealthforces.
Biography
[edit]Borton was born atCheveney,Kentto British officer Arthur Close Borton, the eldest son ofSir Arthur Bortonand Adelaide Beatrice Drummond, a grandchild ofRobert Kaye Greville.Borton was educated atEton CollegeandSandhurst,before being commissioned into theKing's Royal Rifle Corpsin 1902 with whom he served in theSecond Boer War.In 1908 he left the Army as unfit for general service.[1]
At the start of the First World War, Borton was fruit farming in the United States. He returned to England and re-joined The King's Royal Rifles in 1914.[1]After further service with the regiment he became an observer with TheRoyal Flying Corpsin France, where he broke his neck in three places when his aircraft crashed and was declared unfit. Despite this he went toGallipolias alieutenant commanderin theRoyal Naval Volunteer Reserve,where he won theDistinguished Service Orderserving with the RNAS Armoured Cars.[2]Borton was appointed Second-in-Command of the 2nd/22nd London Regiment (The Queen's) in June 1916, serving in France and Palestine.
He was a 34-year-oldlieutenant colonelin the 2/22nd (County of London) Battalion, theLondon Regiment,British Army, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 7 November 1917 atPalestine,Borton deployed his battalion for attack and at dawn led his companies against a strongly held position. When the leading waves were checked by withering fire, he moved freely up and down the line under heavy fire and then led his men forward, capturing the position. At a later stage he led a party of volunteers against a battery of field-guns in action at point-blank range, capturing the guns and the detachments. His fearless leadership was an example to the whole brigade.[3]
He died on 5 January 1933 atSouthwoldin Suffolk, aged 49.[4]
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Museum,Clandon Park,Guildford,Surrey.[5]
Borton's younger brother was Air Vice MarshalAmyas Borton.He married Lorna Lockhart in 1915.[1]
Honours and awards
[edit]Victoria Cross(VC)[5] | ||
Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George(CMG)[5] | ||
Companion of the Distinguished Service Order(DSO)[5] | 1915 as an officer in the RNVR | |
Queen's South Africa Medal[5] | with three bars | |
1914–15 Star[5] | ||
British War Medal[5] | ||
Victory Medal[5] | ||
Knight of the Order of the Nile[5] | (Egypt) | |
4th Class of the Order of St. Vladimir[5] | (Russia) |
References
[edit]- ^abc "Lieut.-Colonel Borton, VC – A Born Leader of Men". Obituaries.The Times.No. 46335. London. 6 January 1933. col B, p. 14.
- ^DSO information
- ^"No. 30433".The London Gazette(Supplement). 14 December 1917. p. 13221.
- ^Birmingham Daily Gazette, 6 January 1933. p. 1.
- ^abcdefghij"Lt Col A D Borton".Queen's Royal Surreys (Archived). Archived fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.Retrieved21 June2020.
Bibliography
[edit]- Ingleton, Roy (2011).Kent VCs.Pen and Sword Books.ISBN978-1848844094.
External links
[edit]- 1883 births
- 1933 deaths
- Territorial Force officers
- Burials in Kent
- People from Hunton, Kent
- People educated at Eton College
- Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
- Royal Navy officers
- British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross
- British Army personnel of the Second Boer War
- British Army personnel of World War I
- London Regiment officers
- Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
- Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- King's Royal Rifle Corps officers
- Royal Navy officers of World War I
- Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I
- British Army personnel of the Russian Civil War
- Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th class
- British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
- Military personnel from Kent
- Military personnel from Suffolk