William Spurrett Fielding-Johnson
| William Spurrett Fielding Johnson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
8 February 1892 Leicester, Leicestershire, England |
| Died | 10 February 1953 (aged 61) Leicester, Leicestershire, England |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
British Army Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1913–1918 1939–1945 |
| Rank | Captain (WWI) Squadron Leader (WWII) |
| Service number | 73613 (RAF) |
| Unit |
Leicestershire Yeomanry No. 3 Squadron RFC No. 56 Squadron RFC No. 214 Squadron RAF |
| Battles/wars |
World War I World War II |
| Awards |
Military Cross & Bar (1915 & 1918) Distinguished Flying Cross (1942) |
| Relations | Thomas Fielding Johnson (grandfather) |
William Spurrett Fielding Johnson MC and Bar, DFC (8 February 1892 – 10 February 1953) was a British military officer who served in both World War I and World War II. Originally an Army officer, he later joined the Royal Flying Corps, and became a flying ace credited with six aerial victories, and ended the war as a captain with two awards of the Military Cross. In World War II he served in the Royal Air Force, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and rising to the rank of squadron leader.
Fielding Johnson was born in Leicester, the son of Thomas Fielding Johnson Jr. (1856–1931) and Florence Lyne Paget (1856–1933). He was educated at Rugby School, and was a cadet in the school's Junior Division of the Officers' Training Corps. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Leicestershire ("Prince Albert's Own") Yeomanry on 16 March 1913, a mounted infantry unit of the Territorial Force.
The Leicestershire Yeomanry were mobilised in August 1914 at the start of the First World War, and arrived in France in November as part of the North Midland Mounted Brigade.
On 13 May 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, the regiment was on the front line of the Ypres Salient, occupying a sector of trenches about 300 yards (270 m) wide, north of the railway line running north-east from Ypres. Fielding Johnson was with "B" Squadron occupying the northern half of the line, with "C" Squadron to the south, and "A" Squadron in support trenches 300 yards further back. The advanced trenches were in poor condition, only 5 feet (1.5 m) deep and 2.5 feet (0.76 m) wide at the bottom. The parapets were of loose soil, there were few sandbags, and no dugouts or other forms of protection. Heavy shelling from 3.30 to 6.00 am caused few casualties, before the Germans attempted to launch an assault, but were repulsed. A second, heavier shelling began, until at 7.30 am the Germans attacked again, managing to capture part of "B" Squadron's trench, and advancing to within 200 yards of the support trenches by using bulletproof steel shields as protection, before digging in. Fielding Johnson and what was left of "B" Squadron joined "C" Squadron, and quickly threw up a barricade across the trench line, fighting off the enemy on their flank, and those advancing from the front. Casualties were very heavy and eventually Fielding Johnson was the only officer left. He decided to retire down the trench, cross the railway line and join the 3rd Dragoon Guards on the other side. They had great difficulty in crossing the railway, which was under fire from German machine guns, but managed by building a parapet of sandbags. Fielding Johnson eventually joined the 3rd Dragoons accompanied by a sergeant-major and 14 men, the only survivors from "B" and "C" squadrons. "A" Squadron held their position in the support trenches until noon, when they were reinforced by troops from Royal Horse Guards, the 10th Hussars, and the Essex Yeomanry, and counter-attacked, but succeeded only in driving the Germans back as far as the advanced trenches, so the dead and wounded were never recovered. That day the regiment lost 52 killed, 95 wounded and 39 missing. On 3 July 1915 Fielding Johnson was awarded the Military Cross for his "conspicuous gallantry" on that day.
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