Daniel Marcus William Beak Major - General Daniel Marcus William Beak , VC , DSO , MC & Bar ( 27 July 1891 – 3 May 1967 ) was an 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 British and Commonwealth forces . World War I service . 1915 – 1917 . He initially joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a rating on 2 February 1915 , but before seeing action was commissioned as a temporary sub - lieutenant in the Royal Naval Division in May 1915 . He was posted to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force , but it is not clear from his service record if he saw action in that theatre . He arrived in France in May 1916 , and after being appointed adjutant of the Drake Battalion on 2 March 1917 , he ended up commanding his battalion as an acting commander between 19 March 1917 and 3 April 1917 . He was promoted to temporary lieutenant - commander on relinquishing command , and attached to headquarters . He was awarded the Military Cross ( MC ) in January 1917 , and a Bar to his MC on 18 July 1917 . The citations read : He attended the Senior Officers ' Course in Aldershot in late 1917 and on 31 December was promoted temporary commander , and appointed as commanding officer of the Howe Battalion . 1918 . He initially remained in command of the Howe Battalion , then briefly commanded the Anson Battalion in the first week of March 1918 , and then transferred back to the Drake Battalion on 13 March 1918 . He was Mentioned in Despatches on 20 May , and awarded the Distinguished Service Order ( DSO ) on 26 July 1918 , the citation read : He was sick for four days with the flu in July 1918 , and was granted a period of home leave in August , returning on 10 August . During the period 21 / 25 August and on 4 September 1918 at Logeast Wood , France , Commander Beak led his men and captured four enemy positions under heavy fire . Four days later , although dazed by a shell fragment , in the absence of the brigade commander , he reorganised the whole brigade under extremely heavy gun fire and led his men to their objective . When an attack was held up , accompanied by only one runner he succeeded in breaking up a nest of machine - guns , personally bringing in nine or ten prisoners . His initiative and the confidence with which he inspired all ranks , contributed very materially to the success of these operations . The full citation was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " of 12 November 1918 ( dated 15 November 1918 ) : He received a second Mention in Despatches on 20 December 1918 . With the war now over he was granted several periods of home leave , returned home permanently in May 1919 , and was demobilised in June . Inter - war service . In 1921 , he was granted a regular army commission with the Royal Scots Fusiliers as a captain . Beak was in Ireland with his regiment during the Irish War of Independence . In the situation , following the collapse of the British civilian administration , his duties included membership of the " Courts of Enquiry in lieu of Inquests . " In July 1921 he is documented as a member of the enquiry into the shooting of Richard and Abraham Pearson by the South Offaly No . 2 Brigade IRA . He was given a brevet promotion to major in 1929 , and substantive promotion in 1932 , on transfer to the King ' s Regiment . He was promoted brevet lieutenant - colonel in 1935 . The substantive promotion followed in 1938 , transferring again , this time to the South Lancashire Regiment . World War II service . During World War II Beak was commander of 12th Brigade , GOC Malta and 151st Infantry Brigade , which he led during Operation Pugilist . Montgomery dismissed him from this post after that battle and he never held another command . He was an acting brigadier by 2 August 1940 when his promotion to colonel was gazetted . A Mention in Despatches was gazetted on 20 December 1940 , for services between March and June of that year . He was promoted temporary major - general in January 1942 . He retired from the army on 19 February 1945 , retaining the honorary rank of major - general . His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum , London . He is buried in an unmarked grave at Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey but in recognition of his close ties to Cheltenham , where he served as Acting Secretary of Cheltenham YMCA in 1913 , they , together with This England magazine , erected a commemorative plaque by the main war memorial in the Promenade , which was dedicated by the Mayor of Cheltenham on 27 September 2006 .