William Traynor
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- For the Canadian-American political activist, see W. J. H. Traynor
William Bernard Traynor VC (31 December 1870 – 20 October 1954)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Details
Traynor was born at 29 Moxon Street, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. He joined the West Yorkshire Regiment in November 1888 and served in India and, from October 1899, in South Africa.<ref name=VConline>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
He was a 30 year old sergeant in the 2nd Battalion, The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own), British Army during the Second Boer War when the following act led to the award of the Victoria Cross: Template:Quote
Lance-Corporal Lintott was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for the same action.<ref name=LG/>
In September 1901 Traynor was discharged from the Army as medically unfit for further service. Settling in Dover in Kent in 1902, he served as a civilian orderly room clerk, then a barrack warden, until he retired in 1935.<ref name=VConline/>
Traynor was a member of the Dover branch of the British Legion, serving as its vice chairman for 10 years. He also served on Whitfield Parish Council and was a Freemason.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Traynor died on 20 October 1954 at Buckland Hospital in Dover aged 83, and is buried at Charlton Cemetery, Dover.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Traynor's medals, including his Victoria Cross, are held at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
References
Bibliography
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War (Ian Uys, 2000)