EDWARD John Mott won the Victoria Cross for an act of bravery during the First World War.

Serving in France with the 1st Battalion, The Border Regiment, the 23-year-old sergeant sprang into action when his company came under machine gun fire south of Le Transloy on January 27, 1917.

The citation read: “Although severely wounded in the eye, Sergeant Mott made a rush for the gun and after a fierce struggle, seized the gunner and took him prisoner, capturing the gun.

“It was due to the dash and initiative of this NCO that the left flank attack succeeded.”

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Sergeant Mott, known as Jack, was born on July 4, 1893 at Drayton, near Abingdon, and enlisted with The Border Regiment as a teenager.

In 1915 he took part in the ill-fated Dardanelles Expedition and later served in Egypt before being moved to the Western Front.

The Victoria Cross citation praised him for his “most conspicuous gallantry and initiative”.

In 1962, Mr Mott, then living in New Yatt Road, Witney, joined 150 other holders of the Victoria Cross at a garden party on the lawns of Buckingham Palace, as the guests of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

It was the first time that ‘VCs’ as a group had been to the palace since 1920. Mr Mott was accompanied by his daughter, Edna Mott, and grand-daughter, Jennifer Stone.

Two years later, he was guest of honour at the first night of the showing of Zulu at the ABC cinema in Oxford.

The film reconstructed an 1879 battle in which British soldiers won 11 VCs. It was the first film Mr Mott had seen since Drummer Boy 25 years earlier.

Other guests invited by cinema manager Mr AT Frost were the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Alderman Alec Parker, who was badly wounded at Passchendaele in 1917, and the Deputy Lord Mayor, Alderman Evan Roberts.

Mr Mott was accompanied by his son Bernard, who took the opportunity to point out that, despite his bravery, his father, at the age of 71, was still working in the family building firm.

He said: “It is disgusting. He used to get only £10 a week for his VC and it was raised to £100 only two or three years ago. Otherwise he has only the old age pension. Other countries would honour men like this.”

When Mr Mott died in 1967, military records gave his age as 76. His true age was 74, suggesting that when he joined, he told the Army he was 17 when he was in fact only 15.

Details of his bravery were sent to Memory Lane by reader Bill Minchin, of Orchard Close, Combe.

He writes: “Jack Mott was a school pal of my dear old dad and they maintained their acquaintance for most of their lives.”

He was prompted to write in after reading the story of Sergeant Major Edward Brooks, another holder of the Victoria Cross, whose grandson Keith Brooks, of Horspath, plans to install a replica of his medal on his grave in Rose Hill cemetery.

Mr Minchin writes: “I wonder how many other local heroes we have.”

If you know of one, send details to Memory Lane.