Henry Bowreman Foote
| Henry Robert Bowreman Foote | |
|---|---|
Henry Foote in 1960
|
|
| Born |
5 December 1904 Ishapore, British India |
| Died | 11 November 1993 (aged 88) Pulborough, England |
| Buried | St Mary's Church, West Chiltington (50°57′16″N 0°27′00″W / 50.954418°N 0.449923°WCoordinates: 50°57′16″N 0°27′00″W / 50.954418°N 0.449923°W) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | 1925–1958 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Royal Tank Regiment |
| Commands held |
Royal Armoured Corps (1955–58) 11th Armoured Division (1950–53) 7th Armoured Brigade (1949–50) 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (1947–48) 7th Royal Tank Regiment (1942) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Companion of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches |
Major General Henry Robert Bowreman Foote, VC, CB, DSO (5 December 1904 – 11 November 1993) was a British Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Foote was born on 5 December 1904 in Ishapore, India, the son of Henry Bruce Foote, a major in the Royal Artillery, and his wife Jennie Elizabeth. He was the grandson of the archaeologist and geologist Robert Bruce Foote, often considered the "Father of Indian Prehistory".
Foote's mother died when he was a child and he went to England to board at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne at the age of four. In 1918 he went to Bedford School where he stayed until 1923.
Foote joined the British Army in 1925, being commissioned into the Royal Tank Corps.
Foote was a Staff Officer from 1939 to 1942 and a member of the British Army Staff Mission, Washington, DC in 1941. In 1942 he became Officer Commanding, 7th Royal Tank Regiment and it was in this post that he won the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Gazala.
During the period 27 May to 15 June 1942 in Libya, Lieutenant Colonel Foote commanded his battalion with outstanding courage and leadership, always being at the crucial point at the right time. On 6 June, although wounded, he continued to lead his battalion from an exposed position on the outside of a tank, and succeeded in defeating the enemy's attempt to encircle two Allied divisions. On 13 June, when a number of Allied tanks had been destroyed, he went on foot, "from one tank to another, to encourage the crews under intense artillery and anti-tank fire". By "his magnificent example the corridor was kept open and the Brigade was able to march through".
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Wikipedia