branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit awards placeofburial_label battles birth_date rank image article_title name
23px british army terhand , belgium 29 september 1918 -lrb- aged 25 -rrb- norwich , norfolk united kingdom united kingdom army service corps the royal inniskilling fusiliers victoria cross military medal place of burial world war i 16 august 1893 lance-corporal vcernestseaman.jpg ernest seaman
 ernest seaman
ernest seaman

ernest seaman vc mm -lrb- 16 august 1893 -- 29 september 1918 -rrb- 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 .
ernie was born in a small village near norwich , then while he was still a young boy his mother remarried and his family moved to scole .
on leaving school he worked for a while as a page boy in the grand hotel in felixstowe .
he had a few other jobs before signing up to go and fight for his country .
classified as unfit for active front line service he ended up as a baker in the army service corps of the british army .
it was not until late in the war that he was allowed to join a front-line unit .
he was 25 years old , and a lance-corporal in the 2nd battalion , the royal inniskilling fusiliers , during the first world war when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the vc .
a copy of his medal is held in the officers mess at the royal logistic corps museum -lrb- camberley , surrey , england -rrb- .
the original is kept in a bank vault .
ernie is commemorated at tyne cot cemetery -lrb- panel no. 70 -rrb- , the memorial to the 36th division at the ulster tower near thiepval on the somme , felixstowe war memorial -lrb- suffolk -rrb- , and the scole war memorial -lrb- norfolk -rrb- .
