Michael John O'Leary
| Michael John O'Leary | |
|---|---|
Michael O'Leary, VC.
|
|
| Born |
29 September 1890 Inchigeela, Macroom, County Cork |
| Died |
1 August 1961 (aged 70) Islington, London, England |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
Royal Navy British Army |
| Years of service | 1906 – 1910 (Royal Navy) 1910 – 1913, 1914 – 1921, 1939 – 1945 (British Army) |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
Irish Guards Connaught Rangers Middlesex Regiment |
| Battles/wars |
First World War Second World War |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Mentioned in Despatches Russian Cross of St George (third class) |
Major Michael John O'Leary VC (29 September 1890 – 2 August 1961) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. O'Leary achieved his award for single-handedly charging and destroying two German barricades defended by machine gun positions near the French village of Cuinchy, in a localised operation on the Western Front during the First World War.
At the time of his action, O'Leary was a nine-year veteran of the British armed forces and by the time he retired from the British Army in 1921, he had reached the rank of lieutenant. He served in the army again during the Second World War, although his later service was blighted by periods of ill-health. At his final retirement from the military in 1945, O'Leary was an Army major in command of a prisoner of war camp. Between the wars, O'Leary spent many years employed as a police officer in Canada and is sometimes considered to be a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross. Following the Second World War he worked as a building contractor in London, where he died in 1961.
O'Leary was born in 1890, one of four children of Daniel and Margaret O'Leary, who owned a farm at Inchigeela, near Macroom in County Cork, Ireland. Daniel O'Leary was a fervent Irish nationalist and keen sportsman who participated in competitive weightlifting and football. Aged 16 and unwilling to continue to work on his parent's land, Michael O'Leary joined the Royal Navy, serving at the shore establishment HMS Vivid at Devonport for several years until rheumatism in his knees forced his departure from the service. Within a few months however, O'Leary had again tired of the farm and joined the Irish Guards regiment of the British Army.
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