John Brunt
| John Henry Cound Brunt | |
|---|---|
Second Lieutenant John Brunt c.1943, with the badges of the Sherwood Foresters
|
|
| Born |
6 December 1922 Priest Weston, Shropshire |
| Died | 10 December 1944 (aged 22) Faenza, Italy |
| Buried at | Faenza War Cemetery |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Army
|
| Years of service | 1941–1944 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit |
Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Sherwood Foresters, attached Royal Lincolnshire Regiment |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Military Cross |
Captain John Henry Cound Brunt VC, MC (6 December 1922 – 10 December 1944) was an English 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. He served in Italy during the Second World War and was twice decorated for bravery in action before he was killed by mortar fire.
John Henry Cound Brunt was born on 6 December 1922, on a farm in Priest Weston, near Chirbury, Shropshire to Thomas Henry Brunt and Nesta Mary Brunt (née Cound), and began his education at Chirbury village school. He had an elder sister named Dorothy (born 13 May 1920) and a younger sister Isobel (born 5 October 1923). When Dorothy was eight, the family moved to a farm near Whittington, Shropshire, where John grew up. As he became older, his fearless nature became more apparent; every week, he read the comic "Tiny Tots", which featured instructions on "How to teach yourself to swim". One day, he asked Dorothy to take him to the Shropshire Canal, which went through their farmland. Before his sister could stop him, Brunt had taken off all his clothes and jumped into the canal. When they finally arrived home, their mother wanted to know why he had no clothes on, and John responded that he had been teaching himself to swim. As he got older, his daredevil attitude became even more serious; on one occasion, he was found swinging himself along the guttering of a dutch barn sixty feet above the farmyard.
When old enough, Brunt was enrolled at Ellesmere College, where his mischievous streak became quickly apparent through pranks and dares; once, while in the sanatorium with mumps, he slipped a laxative into the matron's tea. Nevertheless, he is fondly remembered at the school. It was while he was at Ellesmere that he contracted measles, resulting in his need to wear glasses. An enthusiastic sportsman, Brunt played cricket, hockey, rugby, water polo and wrestling. He was the only pupil at the school to tackle the headmaster while playing rugby, injuring the older man's knee in the process.
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