James Joseph Magennis James Joseph Magennis VC ( spelling originally McGinnes ) ( 27 October 1919 – 12 February 1986 ) was a Belfast - born recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . He was the only native of Northern Ireland to receive the Victoria Cross for Second World War service . Magennis was part of several operations involving X - Craft midget submarines in attacks on Axis ships . In July 1945 Magennis was serving on HMS " XE3 " during Operation " Struggle " . During an attack on the Japanese cruiser " Takao " in Singapore , Magennis showed extraordinary valour and bravery by leaving the submarine for a second time in order to free some explosive charges that had got caught . His commanding officer Lieutenant Ian Fraser was also awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 31 July 1945 during the Operation . Early career . James McGinnes was born on 27 October 1919 at Majorca Street , West Belfast , Ireland . He was from a working class Roman Catholic family and attended St Finian ' s Primary School on the Falls Road , Belfast until 3 June 1935 when enlisted in the Royal Navy as a boy seaman ( spelling his surname Magennis ) . He served on several different warships between 1935 and 1942 , when he joined the submarine branch . Before joining the submarine branch , Magennis served on the destroyer " Kandahar " which was mined off Tripoli , Libya , in December 1941 whilst Magennis was on board . The ship was irreparably damaged and was scuttled the following day . In December 1942 , Magennis was drafted into the Submarine service and in March 1943 he volunteered for " special and Hazardous duties " — which meant Midget submarines , or X - craft . He trained as a diver , and in September 1943 took part in the first major use of the X - craft during Operation Source . Two submarines , HMS " X7 " and HMS " X6 " , penetrated Kåfjord , Norway , and disabled the German battleship " Tirpitz " . For his part in the attack Magennis was mentioned in dispatches " [ f ] or bravery and devotion to duty " in 1943 . Operation Struggle . In July 1945 Acting Leading Seaman Magennis was serving as the diver on the midget submarine HMS " XE3 " under the command of Lieutenant Ian Fraser . They were tasked with sinking the 10 , 000 ton Japanese cruiser " Takao " , the first of the " Takao " Class . She was berthed in the Straits of Johor , Singapore acting as an Anti - aircraft battery . The codename for the operation was Operation " Struggle " . On 30 July 1945 the " XE3 " was towed to the area by the submarine " Stygian " . She slipped her tow at 23 : 00 for the forty - mile journey through hazardous wrecks , minefields and listening posts to reach the " Takao . " After arriving at the " Takao " at 13 : 00 on 31 July 1945 . Magennis slipped out of the wet - and - dry chamber and he attached limpet mine s to the Japanese cruiser " Takao " under particularly difficult circumstances . He had to chip away at barnacles on the bottom of the cruiser for 30 minutes before being able to attach the limpets . During this time his breathing apparatus was leaking and he returned to the submarine after completion of his task very exhausted . On withdrawing , Lieutenant Ian Fraser found that one of the limpet carriers which was being jettisoned would not release itself . Magennis immediately volunteered to free it commenting : " I ' ll be all right as soon as I ' ve got my wind , Sir " . This he did , after seven minutes of nerve - racking work with a heavy spanner . On completion Magennis returned to " XE3 " for the second time , allowing the four man midget submarine to make its escape out to open sea to meet the waiting " Stygian " . Award of the Victoria Cross . The citation was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " of 9 November 1945 ( dated 13 November 1945 ) and read : Lieutenant Fraser was also awarded the VC for his part in the attack ; whilst Sub - Lieutenant William James Lanyon Smith , RNZNVR , who was at the controls of " XE3 " during the attack , received the Distinguished Service Cross ( DSC ) ; Engine Room Artificer Third Class Charles Alfred Reed , who was at the wheel , received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal ( CGM ) . HMS " XE1 " was supposed to be attacking another Japanese vessel as part of the same operation , but actually ended up also placing its explosives under the same target . " XE1 " ' s C / O , Lieutenant John Elliott Smart RNVR , and Sub - Lieutenant Harold Edwin Harper , RNVR received the DSC ; and ERA Fourth Class Henry James Fishleigh and Leading Seaman Walter Henry Arthur Pomeroy received the Distinguished Service Medal . ERA Fourth Class Albert Nairn , Acting Leading Stoker Jack Gordan Robinson , and Able Seaman Ernest Raymond Dee were Mentioned in Despatches for their part in bringing the two midget submarines from harbour to the point where the crews that took part in the attack took over . Later life . Magennis was the only Victoria Cross winner of the Second World War to hail from Northern Ireland . As a result Magennis obtained something of a " celebrity status " in his home city . The citizens of Belfast raised more than £3 , 000 as part of a " Shilling Fund . " The City Fathers of Belfast refused to give Magennis the freedom of the City though . Sources differ as to the reasoning behind this ; some claim it was due to religious divisions , others claim it was due to the City Fathers not " . . . believing that such an honour could not be bestowed on a working - class Catholic from the inner - city slums . " In 1946 Magennis married Edna Skidmore , with whom he had four sons . The money from the Shilling Fund was spent quickly by Magennis and his wife ; she remarked : " We are simple people . . . forced into the limelight . We lived beyond our means because it seemed the right thing to do . " In 1949 he left the Navy and returned to Belfast , where , at some point , he sold his Victoria Cross . In 1955 he moved to Yorkshire , where he worked as an electrician . For the last years of his life , he suffered from chronic ill health , before dying on 11 February 1986 of lung cancer hours before his heroism was honoured by the Royal Navy Philatelic Office with a first - day cover . Memorials . Magennis has had several memorials erected in his honour . When Magennis first won the VC , he was treated rather shabbily by the Unionist - dominated Belfast City Council because he was from a working class Roman Catholic family . Although the public collected £3 , 600 in appreciation of his heroism , the council refused to give him the freedom of the city . The only official recognition was a small photograph tucked away in the robing room of the council chamber . The first memorial was only erected in 1999 after a long campaign by his biographer George Fleming and Major S . H . Pollock CD ( Canada ) . The memorial , a bronze and stone statue , was officially unveiled in Belfast on 8 October 1999 . The ceremony was conducted in the grounds of Belfast City Hall in the presence of Magennis ' s son Paul , by the Lord Mayor of Belfast , Bob Stoker . Magennis ' s former commanding officer , Ian Fraser , was reported as saying : " Jim gave me bother from time to time . He liked his tot of rum , but he was a lovely man and a fine diver . I have never met a braver man . It was a privilege to know him and it ' s wonderful to see Belfast honour him at last . " A wall mural commemorating James Magennis on the 60th anniversary of VJ day was unveiled on 16 September 2005 by Peter Robinson , the Democratic Unionist Party Member of Parliament representing East Belfast , including Tullycarnet . Magennis plaques . In 1986 at a memorial service in Bradford Cathedral , the Submarine Old Comrade Association ( West Riding Branch ) erected a memorial plaque on an inner wall within the Cathedral . The plaque made of Welsh slate was supplied by ex - submariner Tommy Topham MBE . Rear Admiral Place VC , CB , CVO , DSC unveiled the plaque . In attendance was Petty Officer Tommy " Nat " Gould , another submariner Victoria Cross recipient of the Second World War . In 1998 a memorial plaque was installed by Castlereagh Borough Council on the wall of Magennis ' s former home at 32 Carncaver Road , Castlereagh , East Belfast . A memorial blue plaque sponsored by Belfast City Council was installed on the outer wall of the Royal Naval Association building at Great Victoria Street , Belfast by the Ulster History Circle . Ashcroft collection . In 1986 , there was some publicity in the newspapers that his VC would be up at auction . This attracted the interest of Michael Ashcroft , Baron Ashcroft who bought the VC for £29 , 000 ( plus fees ) amidst strong competition from dealers and private collectors . This was the first Victoria Cross bought by Lord Ashcroft , who , as of 2006 , owned 142 medals . In July 2008 Lord Ashcroft announced a donation of £5 million for a permanent gallery at the Imperial War Museum , where Victoria Crosses already held by the museum will be put on display alongside his own . The Lord Ashcroft Gallery opened in 2010 . In the media . Magennis was profiled in the 2006 television docudrama " Victoria Cross Heroes " , which included archive footage , dramatisations of his actions and an interview with his Lord Ashcroft about his VC .