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Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney

In memory of:

Private Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney

September 18, 1918

Military Service

Service Number:

410935

Age:

25

Force:

Army

Unit:

Canadian Infantry (Eastern Ontario Regiment)

Division:

38th Battalion

Citation(s):

An extract from the "London Gazette" Supplement (No. 31067) dated December 13, 1918, records the following:

For most conspicuous bravery during the operations against the Drocourt-Queant line on Sept. 1st and 2nd, 1918. On Sept. 1st, when his battalion was in the vicinity of Vis-en-Artois, preparatory to the advance, the enemy laid down a heavy barrage and counter-attacked. Pte. Nunney, who was at this time at company headquarters, immediately on his own initiative proceeded through the barrage to the company outpost lines, going from post to post and encouraging the men by his own fearless example. The enemy were repulsed and a critical situation was saved. During the attack on Sept. 2nd, his dash continually placed him in advance of his companions, and his fearless example undoubtedly helped greatly to carry the company forward to its objectives.

Honours and Awards:

Military Medal

Distinguished Conduct Medal

Victoria Cross

Additional Information

Born:

December 24, 1892
Dublin, Ireland

Enlistment:

March 8, 1915
Ottawa, Ontario

Brother of Private Alfred Nunney, who died while serving with the Canadian Infantry (New Brunswick Regiment).

Commemorated on the Captain MacDowell and Private Nunney Plaque.

Commemorated on Page 479 of the First World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney is a recipient of the Victoria Cross.
Complete list of Canadian Victoria Cross Recipients

Burial Information

Cemetery:

AUBIGNY COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION
Pas de Calais, France

Grave Reference:

IV. B. 39.

Location:

Aubigny Communal Cemetery is south of the village of Aubigny-en-Artois and the Cemetery Extension is behind it. The village of Aubigny-en-Artois is approximately 15 kilometres north-west of Arras on the road to St. Pol. After turning into the village from the N.39 on the D.75, the Cemetery lies south on a road leading from the centre of the village.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

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  • Honour roll– British Home Children World War 1 Honour Roll

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    Honour roll
    Honour roll – British Home Children World War 1 Honour Roll
  • Circumstances of death registers– Circumstances of Death

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    Circumstances of death registers
    Circumstances of death registers – Circumstances of Death
  • Memorial– Claude Nunney Memorial in Plaque in front of the Lancaster Royal Canadian Legion Branch 544 in Glengarry, Lancaster Township ON. Claude Nunney came to this area as a young immigrant, worked on a farm in Glengarry, and won the hearts of the people who knew him.

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Nunney Memorial in Plaque in front of the Lancaster Royal Canadian Legion Branch 544 in Glengarry, Lancaster Township ON. Claude Nunney came to this area as a young immigrant, worked on a farm in Glengarry, and won the hearts of the people who knew him.
  • Memorial– Claude Nunney Memorial in Plaque in front of the Lancaster Royal Canadian Legion Branch 544 in Glengarry, Lancaster Township ON. Claude Nunney came to this area as a British Home Child, and worked on a farm in Glengarry. His enlistment forms said he was born in Ireland, but he was actually born in Hastings, East Sussex. Unfortunately this information was not available until after the plaque was erected.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Nunney Memorial in Plaque in front of the Lancaster Royal Canadian Legion Branch 544 in Glengarry, Lancaster Township ON. Claude Nunney came to this area as a British Home Child, and worked on a farm in Glengarry. His enlistment forms said he was born in Ireland, but he was actually born in Hastings, East Sussex. Unfortunately this information was not available until after the plaque was erected.
  • Newspaper clipping– Claude Nunney VC DC MM 'Calls to honour St Leonards soldier from WW1 with New Blue Plaque' From the Hastings & St Leonards Observer_June 8 2018

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    Newspaper clipping
    Newspaper clipping – Claude Nunney VC DC MM 'Calls to honour St Leonards soldier from WW1 with New Blue Plaque' From the Hastings & St Leonards Observer_June 8 2018
  • Memorial– Claude Nunney VC DCM MM On July 19, 2017, what would have been Claude Nunney's 125th birthday, a Blue Plaque was erected at the home of his birth at 447 Bexhill Rd, St Leonards on Sea, a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. In 1892, when Claude was born, the house originally carried the number 42 on Bexhill Road. Born Stephen Sargent Claude Nunney, in 1905, at age 12, he travelled to Canada as a ‘British Home Child’ with his brother Alfred,10, who also lost his life in WW1, a month before Claude. Their brother George, came to Canada one year earlier, at age 13. Claude Nunney is a significant and proud part of this town’s history.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Nunney VC DCM MM On July 19, 2017, what would have been Claude Nunney's 125th birthday, a Blue Plaque was erected at the home of his birth at 447 Bexhill Rd, St Leonards on Sea, a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. In 1892, when Claude was born, the house originally carried the number 42 on Bexhill Road. Born Stephen Sargent Claude Nunney, in 1905, at age 12, he travelled to Canada as a ‘British Home Child’ with his brother Alfred,10, who also lost his life in WW1, a month before Claude. Their brother George, came to Canada one year earlier, at age 13. Claude Nunney is a significant and proud part of this town’s history.
  • Memorial– Claude Nunney VC DCM MM On July 19, 2017, what would have been Claude Nunney's 125th birthday, a Blue Plaque was erected at the home of his birth at 447 Bexhill Rd, St Leonards on Sea, a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. In 1892, when Claude was born, the house originally carried the number 42 on Bexhill Road. Born Stephen Sargent Claude Nunney, in 1905, at age 12, he travelled to Canada as a ‘British Home Child’ with his brother Alfred,10, who also lost his life in WW1, a month before Claude. Their brother George, came to Canada one year earlier, at age 13. Claude Nunney is a significant and proud part of this town’s history.

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Nunney VC DCM MM On July 19, 2017, what would have been Claude Nunney's 125th birthday, a Blue Plaque was erected at the home of his birth at 447 Bexhill Rd, St Leonards on Sea, a town and seaside resort in the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. In 1892, when Claude was born, the house originally carried the number 42 on Bexhill Road. Born Stephen Sargent Claude Nunney, in 1905, at age 12, he travelled to Canada as a ‘British Home Child’ with his brother Alfred,10, who also lost his life in WW1, a month before Claude. Their brother George, came to Canada one year earlier, at age 13. Claude Nunney is a significant and proud part of this town’s history.
  • Honour roll– Memorial plaque in front of the United Kingdom High Commission in Ottawa to commemorate Canadians who have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

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    Honour roll
    Honour roll – Memorial plaque in front of the United Kingdom High Commission in Ottawa to commemorate Canadians who have been awarded the Victoria Cross.
  • Memorial– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney British home child

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney British home child
  • Memorial– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney British home child

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney British home child
  • Memorial– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney British home child

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney British home child
  • Memorial– Did you know? Private Claude Nunney VC DCM MM of 38th Ottawa Overseas Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force and his brother Alfred were British Home Children emigrating at 12 and 13 from Hastings, Sussex through St George's Home in Hintonburg. Both had World War I related deaths in France at 24 and 26.

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Did you know? Private Claude Nunney VC DCM MM of 38th Ottawa Overseas Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force and his brother Alfred were British Home Children emigrating at 12 and 13 from Hastings, Sussex through St George's Home in Hintonburg. Both had World War I related deaths in France at 24 and 26.
  • Memorial– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child
  • 38th Bn Badge– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child

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    38th Bn Badge
    38th Bn Badge – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child
  • Group Photo– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child

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    Group Photo
    Group Photo – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child
  • Memorial– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child
  • Memorial– Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child

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    Memorial
    Memorial – Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC home child
  • Memorial– #DYK seven brave Canadian soldiers all earned the Victoria Cross in France on 2 September 1918? The Victoria Cross is the highest award for military valour our service members can receive. 7 of 100 Canadians awarded this prestigious medal earned it on 2 September 1918. Dubbed “the Magnificent Seven,” they earned them during the bitter fighting to break through the German’s Drocourt-Quéant Line in northern France during the First World War. These brave men were Lance Corporal William Metcalf, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, Sergeant Arthur Knight, Private Claude Nunney, Private Walter Rayfield and Private John Young. Photos: Department of National Defence

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – #DYK seven brave Canadian soldiers all earned the Victoria Cross in France on 2 September 1918? The Victoria Cross is the highest award for military valour our service members can receive. 7 of 100 Canadians awarded this prestigious medal earned it on 2 September 1918. Dubbed “the Magnificent Seven,” they earned them during the bitter fighting to break through the German’s Drocourt-Quéant Line in northern France during the First World War. These brave men were Lance Corporal William Metcalf, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, Sergeant Arthur Knight, Private Claude Nunney, Private Walter Rayfield and Private John Young. Photos: Department of National Defence
  • Newspaper Clipping– #DYK seven brave Canadian soldiers all earned the Victoria Cross in France on 2 September 1918? The Victoria Cross is the highest award for military valour our service members can receive. 7 of 100 Canadians awarded this prestigious medal earned it on 2 September 1918. Dubbed “the Magnificent Seven,” they earned them during the bitter fighting to break through the German’s Drocourt-Quéant Line in northern France during the First World War. These brave men were Lance Corporal William Metcalf, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, Sergeant Arthur Knight, Private Claude Nunney, Private Walter Rayfield and Private John Young. Photos: Department of National Defence

    Details

    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping – #DYK seven brave Canadian soldiers all earned the Victoria Cross in France on 2 September 1918? The Victoria Cross is the highest award for military valour our service members can receive. 7 of 100 Canadians awarded this prestigious medal earned it on 2 September 1918. Dubbed “the Magnificent Seven,” they earned them during the bitter fighting to break through the German’s Drocourt-Quéant Line in northern France during the First World War. These brave men were Lance Corporal William Metcalf, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, Sergeant Arthur Knight, Private Claude Nunney, Private Walter Rayfield and Private John Young. Photos: Department of National Defence
  • Memorial– #DYK seven brave Canadian soldiers all earned the Victoria Cross in France on 2 September 1918? The Victoria Cross is the highest award for military valour our service members can receive. 7 of 100 Canadians awarded this prestigious medal earned it on 2 September 1918. Dubbed “the Magnificent Seven,” they earned them during the bitter fighting to break through the German’s Drocourt-Quéant Line in northern France during the First World War. These brave men were Lance Corporal William Metcalf, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, Sergeant Arthur Knight, Private Claude Nunney, Private Walter Rayfield and Private John Young. Photos: Department of National Defence

    Details

    Memorial
    Memorial – #DYK seven brave Canadian soldiers all earned the Victoria Cross in France on 2 September 1918? The Victoria Cross is the highest award for military valour our service members can receive. 7 of 100 Canadians awarded this prestigious medal earned it on 2 September 1918. Dubbed “the Magnificent Seven,” they earned them during the bitter fighting to break through the German’s Drocourt-Quéant Line in northern France during the First World War. These brave men were Lance Corporal William Metcalf, Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, Captain Bellenden Hutcheson, Sergeant Arthur Knight, Private Claude Nunney, Private Walter Rayfield and Private John Young. Photos: Department of National Defence
  • Newspaper Clipping

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    Newspaper Clipping
    Newspaper Clipping
  • Attestation Paper (front)

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    Attestation Paper (front)
    Attestation Paper (front)
  • Attestation Paper (back)

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    Attestation Paper (back)
    Attestation Paper (back)
  • War Diary– Extract from 38th Battalion War Diary for September 1918

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    War Diary
    War Diary – Extract from 38th Battalion War Diary for September 1918
  • Service Records (front)– Casualty Form - Active Service

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    Service Records (front)
    Service Records (front) – Casualty Form - Active Service
  • Service Records– Casualty Form - Active Service

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    Service Records
    Service Records – Casualty Form - Active Service
  • Military Will

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    Military Will
    Military Will
  • Photograph– Pte C.J.P. Nunney, V.C.

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    Photograph
    Photograph – Pte C.J.P. Nunney, V.C.
  • Award Citation– Personal Information Sheet

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    Award Citation
    Award Citation – Personal Information Sheet
  • Cenotaph– Barrie Military Park, Canadian Victoria Cross Recipients, Cenotaph

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    Cenotaph
    Cenotaph – Barrie Military Park, Canadian Victoria Cross Recipients, Cenotaph
  • Grave Marker

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    Grave Marker
    Grave Marker
  • Gravemarker– Tombstone in Aubigny communal cemetery near Arras, France.

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    Gravemarker
    Gravemarker – Tombstone in Aubigny communal cemetery near Arras, France.

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