1. Johnson Beharry was born in Grenada, and has four brothers and three sisters of Dougla descent.
36 Facts About Johnson Beharry
1. 2.
Johnson Beharry's surname is the anglicised depiction of Bihari, originating from a region of India from which indentured labourers were brought to the Caribbean.
3.
Johnson Beharry moved to Great Britain in 1999 and in 2002 married Lynthia nee Suarlie, who is from Grenada.
4.
Johnson Beharry married secondly in London on 18 March 2013 to Mallissa Venice nee Noel by whom he has three children, two boys and a girl.
5.
Johnson Beharry is an active freemason, attending London's Queensman Lodge No 2694.
6.
Johnson Beharry joined the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in August 2001.
7.
On 1 May 2004, Johnson Beharry was driving a Warrior Tracked Armoured Vehicle that had been called to the assistance of a foot patrol caught in a series of ambushes.
8.
Johnson Beharry drove the disabled Warrior through the ambush, taking his own crew and leading five other Warriors to safety.
9.
Johnson Beharry then extracted his wounded comrades from the vehicle, all the time exposed to further enemy fire.
10.
Johnson Beharry was cited on this occasion for "valour of the highest order".
11.
Johnson Beharry required brain surgery for his head injuries, and he was still recovering in March 2005 when he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
12.
Johnson Beharry was the first living recipient of the VC since Keith Payne and Rayene Stewart Simpson, both Australian, for actions in Vietnam in 1969, and the first living recipient of the VC in the British Army since Rambahadur Limbu, a Gurkha, in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in 1965.
13.
Johnson Beharry continued to be financially supported by the Army but was unfit for duty due to the serious nature of his injuries in combat.
14.
On 3 September 2007 Johnson Beharry visited the veterans mental health charity Gardening Leave to open the Poppy Collection.
15.
On 19 May 2007 Johnson Beharry carried the FA Cup onto the pitch at the new Wembley Stadium before the final between Chelsea and Manchester United.
16.
On 11 November 2008 Johnson Beharry served as an escort to 110-year-old Harry Patch, then one of only three remaining British survivors of the First World War, at The Cenotaph in London's Whitehall to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended that conflict.
17.
Johnson Beharry escaped unharmed and sought help from the organization Combat Stress.
18.
Johnson Beharry later spoke out urging similarly affected veterans to do the same.
19.
On 30 April 2010 Johnson Beharry visited Duke of York's Royal Military School to take the salute at parade and to present the Baroness Thatcher Sword of Honour to the JUO of the winning Guard at Drill Competition.
20.
Johnson Beharry took time to talk to pupils on parade and visited the boys of Roberts House.
21.
On 1 June 2012 Johnson Beharry was promoted to corporal and transferred to a public relations role with the Household Division.
22.
Johnson Beharry therefore held the appointment of lance sergeant, as do all corporals serving in the Household Division.
23.
On 30 June 2012 Johnson Beharry carried the torch for the 2012 Summer Olympics through the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas.
24.
Johnson Beharry was part of the delegation receiving the then-Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall during their 2019 royal visit to Grenada, where he spoke of the royal family's important and unifying role.
25.
Johnson Beharry defended the royal family against accusations of racism by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in 2021 after her and Prince Harry's interview with Operah Winfrey.
26.
At the 2022 State Funeral of Elizabeth II Johnson Beharry pushed the wheelchair of Captain Keith Payne, VC, AM.
27.
At the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla, Johnson Beharry was the Standard-Bearer for Grenada in the procession of Commonwealth officials.
28.
Johnson Beharry's book, entitled Barefoot Soldier, was ghostwritten in collaboration with Nick Cook and was published in October 2006.
29.
Johnson Beharry was interviewed for the 2006 television docudrama Victoria Cross Heroes which included archive footage and dramatisations of his actions.
30.
Johnson Beharry then spoke out on BBC News on 28 February 2009 criticising the lack of support for ex-servicemen and women suffering from mental health problems, and revealing his own ongoing flashbacks and other symptoms.
31.
From 9 January to 20 March 2011, Johnson Beharry competed in the 2011 season of Dancing on Ice.
32.
Johnson Beharry was partnered with Canadian ice-skater, Jodeyne Higgins, and reached the semi-finals, broadcast on 20 March 2011.
33.
On 11 November 2012 Johnson Beharry appeared on the Aled Jones Radio 2 show.
34.
On 28 October 2016 Johnson Beharry appeared on the BBC cookery show Great British Menu where he, along with other recipients of honours from Elizabeth II, was guest at a banquet honouring Great Britons who had been honoured with the OBE during Queen Elizabeth II's reign.
35.
On 11 September 2023, Johnson Beharry attended the opening ceremony of the National Army Cadet Force Museum, in the Octavia Hill Birthplace House.
36.
Johnson Beharry served three months in Northern Ireland during the firefighters' strike, when he manned a fire tender.