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@bigandylock @MGBTours @TheKnotUnites Sorry for the delay, my laptop had been playing up. I was waiting for it to work but gave up and have typed it on here instead.
It’s not really an incredibly exciting story that really adds much to our military understanding (though, of course, all these stories are interesting and useful for illustrative purposes) but it’s one more story to be told and remembered.
Anyway, Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Delaney was a very promising, unbeaten boxer (9 st 9 lb). He was tipped to fight Welsh, the current champion. This fight never happened but most agreed (even before he died - nothing sentimental) he would almost certainly have become the British champion.
As a point to note, his weight category was particularly lacking in the British ranks (maybe 4 really good boxers) but some went as far as to say he was the ‘best prospect in the world’ and many more tipped him for the World Championship.
He was offered a lucrative chance to fight abroad but turned it down in order to join the army. He enlisted in the Sportsman’s where he continued to fight, becoming the divisional champion etc where he outclassed everyone.
Early in 1915, whilst injured in the leg during an attack on German positions, he heard a groan and saw a bloke he’d going over the top with. He refused to leave him and managed to stumble his way back to the line. He was recommended for a DCM
which was widely reported in major newspapers, local and national, but it was downgraded to a MM (which caused condition because news papers still referred to him as DCM, even as late as 1960s). Anyway, back home, in Yorkshire, they held
tournaments in his honour to raised money for charity and celebrate his award.
Anyway, he was a bomber and some time later, he was at the head of a bomb throwing sap when, according to his letter, a German sniper’s bullet went straight through his cap, literally parting his
Anyway, he was a bomber and some time later, he was at the head of a bomb throwing sap when, according to his letter, a German sniper’s bullet went straight through his cap, literally parting his
hair and scraping the top of his scalp leaving just some blood.
His luck didn’t last long. On July 27th, he was part of a bombing party in Delville Wood but never returned. A search party found him lying within yards of the German line. His death was widely reported & comrades
His luck didn’t last long. On July 27th, he was part of a bombing party in Delville Wood but never returned. A search party found him lying within yards of the German line. His death was widely reported & comrades
and those who had never met him but were fans wrote of their disappointment in letters home or to newspapers etc. There was organised a fund in his honour which Lord Lonsdale contributed to. It raised enough money to erect
a memorial to him in his home town of Bradford as well as giving his mother money in instalments. He’s now remembered on the Thiepval memorial and remains one of the many who might have given so much to the sporting world, has he not died in ‘the greater fight’ as many reflected.
