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{{Short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Eustace Jotham
|honorific_suffix=
|birth_date={{birth date|df=y|1883|11|28}}
|death_date={{death date and age|df=y|1915|1|7|1883|11|28}}
|birth_place= [[Kidderminster]], [[Worcestershire]]
|death_place= [[Tochi Valley]], [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier]], [[British India]]
|placeofburial= Miranshah Cemetery, [[North Waziristan]]
|image= File:Jotham card.jpg
|image_size=
|caption= Jotham as pictured on a cigarette card
|nickname=
|allegiance={{flag|United Kingdom}}
|serviceyears=1903–1915{{KIA}}
|rank=[[captain (OF-2)|Captain]]
|branch=[[File:British Raj Red Ensign.svg|23px]] [[British Indian Army]]
|commands=
|unit=
{{plainlist|
*[[North Staffordshire Regiment]]
*[[102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers]]
*[[51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)|51st Sikhs]]
}}
|battles= [[World War I]]
|awards= [[Victoria Cross]]
|laterwork=
}}
'''Eustace Jotham''' [[Victoria Cross|VC]] (28 November 1883 – 7 January 1915) was an [[England|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 [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces.

==Early life and career==
Born in [[Kidderminster]] 28 November 1883, Jotham attended [[Lucton School]] in Herefordshire for five years and at the age of 16, in 1899, he transferred to [[Bromsgrove School]]. In 1901, at the age of 18, he left to attend the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]. He was commissioned into the [[North Staffordshire Regiment|Prince of Wales's (North Staffordshire) Regiment]] as a [[second lieutenant]] on 22 April 1903<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=27545|page=2530|date=21 April 1903}}</ref> and joined the 2nd battalion, embarking for a tour of duty in India.

In 1903 Jotham sailed to India with the North Staffords and served with them until 1905. Under the Indian Army regulations for admission paragraph 13<ref>{{cite book |title=The India List and India Office List 1905 |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3VQTAAAAYAAJ |access-date=28 May 2009 |year=1905 |publisher=India Office |location=London |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3VQTAAAAYAAJ/page/n247 221]–222}}</ref> British army officers could transfer to the Indian army. Jotham transferred to the [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] on 23 June 1905 (backdated to his commissioning date in 1903),<ref name=Gazette27864>{{London Gazette|issue=27864|page=9011|date=15 December 1905}}</ref> and promoted to [[first lieutenant|lieutenant]] in the [[102nd Prince of Wales's Own Grenadiers]] on 22 July 1905.<ref name=Gazette27864/> In October 1906 he transferred to the [[51st Sikhs (Frontier Force)|51st Sikhs]] and is listed in the records as a 'double company officer'.<ref>January 1908 Indian Army List</ref> He was promoted [[captain (OF-2)|captain]] on 22 April 1912.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=28611|page=3797|date=24 May 1912}}</ref>

In 1913 he returned to England for what would be his last period of home leave. Just before he returned to India he was a passenger on a train involved in the [[1913 Ais Gill rail accident|accident at Ais Gill]] and participated in rescue operations. He appeared as a witness at the inquiry held immediately after the accident.<ref>{{cite report|author= Major J.W. Pringle |url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/BoT_AisGill1913.pdf |title=Report by Major J.W. Pringle R.E on the fatal collision that occurred on the 2nd September, 1913, between two passenger trains near Ais Gill, on the Midland Railway |page=41 |date=10 October 1913}}</ref>

On his return to India he was attached to the [[North Waziristan Militia]] during 1914–1915 and it was during this attachment on operations in the [[Tochi Valley]] area of the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–1955)|North West Frontier]] that he was killed in action on 7 January 1915. His bravery during these operations earned him a posthumous Victoria Cross.

==Citation==
{{quote|For most conspicuous bravery on 7th January, 1915, at Spina Khaisora (Tochi Valley).

During operations against the Khostwal tribesmen, Captain Jotham, who was commanding a party of about a dozen of the North Waziristan Militia, was attacked in a nullah and almost surrounded by an overwhelming force of some 1,500 tribesmen. He gave the order to retire, and could have himself escaped, but most gallantly sacrificed his own life by attempting to effect the rescue of one of his men who had lost his horse.|The London Gazette, 23 July 1915<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29240|supp=y|page=7279|date=23 July 1915}}</ref>}}

==Burial and memorials==
He was buried in the [[Miranshah]] Cemetery, [[North Waziristan]], and is commemorated on the [[India Gate|Delhi Memorial (India Gate)]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1437380|title=Commonwealth War Graves Commission — casualty details|publisher=[[CWGC]]|access-date=26 November 2007}}</ref>

On 7 January 2015, the 100th anniversary of his death, a memorial paving stone to Jotham was unveiled at St Mary's and All Saints Church in his home town of Kidderminster.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-30710745 |title=Kidderminster VC memorial to Capt Eustace Jotham unveiled |work=BBC News |date=7 January 2015 |access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref> Jotham's Victoria Cross is held at [[Bromsgrove School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.memorialstovalour.co.uk/vc568.html |title=VC568 Eustace Jotham |work=Memorials to Valour |access-date=14 April 2015}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave|7996537}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jotham, Eustace}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1915 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Worcestershire]]
[[Category:British Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst]]
[[Category:Indian Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:British Indian Army personnel killed in action]]
[[Category:People educated at Lucton School]]
[[Category:People educated at Bromsgrove School]]
[[Category:People from Kidderminster]]
[[Category:North Staffordshire Regiment officers]]

Eustace Jotham - Revision history

UpdateBot at 20:45, 10 March 2022