Lieutenant William Thomas Forshaw, V.C
Major William Thomas Forshaw, V.C. (1890-1943), British soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross. Forshaw, formerly an assistant master at North Manchester Grammar School, was an officer in the 1/9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment and earned his V.C. at Gallipoli between the 7th and 9th August 1915 by keeping up a bombardment for forty-one hours in order to hold the British line, and by shooting three Turkish soldiers with his revolver in order to recapture their trench. According to The Tatler, during that time, he continually smoked for the purpose of lighting the fuses of the bombs which were made from jam tins, a technique that eventually earned him the nickname, Cigarette V.C.'! This, coupled with the fumes of the bombs resulted in sickness and a complete loss of his voice for several days afterwards. Forshaw told an interviewer, It was a strange feeing suddenly to see huge Turks facing you. There is nothing like a revolver in such circumstances. I shot my first man as he was attempting to bayonet a corporal, a second as he was running for our ammunition and a third as he was attempting to bayonet me. All was over in a few seconds, but the Turks had fled
