Albert Mountain

Who was Albert Mountain?

Albert Mountain VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross during the First World War, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Mountain won his VC while serving as a sergeant in the 15/17th Battalion, The Prince of Wales's Own, British Army. The citation for his VC reads:

On 26 March 1918 at Hamelincourt, France, when the situation was critical, Sergeant Mountain with a party of 10 men attacked an advance enemy patrol of about 200 strong with a Lewis gun, killing half of them. The sergeant then rallied his men in the face of overwhelming numbers of the main body of the enemy, to cover the retirement of the rest of the company - this party of one NCO and four men held at bay 600 of the enemy for half an hour. Sergeant Mountain later took command of the flank post of the battalion, holding on for 27 hours until finally surrounded.

He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre and Medaille Militaire. His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Prince of Wales's Own Regiment of Yorkshire Museum, York, England.