Private William Buckingham VC 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.
15 Facts About William Buckingham
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William Buckingham received the VC during the First World War, for his actions during the Battle of Neuve Chapelle in March 1915.
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The exact date of William Buckingham's birth is not known, but he was born in February 1886 in Bedford, England.
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William Buckingham was the oldest child of William Henry Billington and his wife, Annie Billington.
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William Buckingham's father died in 1888, and his mother remarried in 1891, to Thomas Buckingham.
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William Buckingham joined the British Army in November 1901, when he was nearly 16, and was posted to the 2nd Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment.
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William Buckingham fought at the Defence of Givenchy, with his name being forwarded to Lieutenant General James Willcocks, the commander of the Indian Corps, for special mention.
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William Buckingham's battalion was on the right of the division's sector and proceeded to capture a section of German trenches that had been overlooked for a preliminary artillery barrage.
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William Buckingham was wounded in the chest during the fighting, and was sent to England for recovery.
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William Buckingham was unaware of the award of the VC until an acquaintance showed him a newspaper reporting it.
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Rather than immediately returning to his battalion, William Buckingham was used in recruitment drives for the war effort.
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William Buckingham remained in England until April 1916, at which time he was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment.
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William Buckingham was promoted to acting corporal for a time but requested a return to his previous rank of private.
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William Buckingham was killed at Thiepval on 15 September 1916, during the later stages of the Battle of the Somme.
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William Buckingham has no known grave and his name is recorded on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.