serviceyears branch death_place death_date birth_place allegiance unit battles birth_date placeofburial nickname rank image article_title name
1915 - 1918 united kingdom tooting , london 22 january 1946 streatham , london united kingdom the east surrey regiment world war i 4 january 1886 streatham cemetery tiny corporal edward foster vc.jpg edward foster -lrb- vc -rrb-
 edward foster
edward foster -lrb- vc -rrb-

edward foster vc -lrb- 4 january 1886 -- 22 january 1946 -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 .
foster was 31 years old , and a corporal in the 13th battalion , the east surrey regiment , british army during the first world war when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the vc .
on 24 april 1917 at villers-plouich , nord , france , during an attack , the advance was held up in a portion of the village by two machine-guns which were entrenched and strongly covered by wire entanglements .
corporal foster who was in charge of two lewis guns succeeded in entering the trench and engaged the enemy guns .
one of the lewis guns was lost , but the corporal rushed forward , bombed the enemy and recovered the gun .
then , getting his two guns into action , he killed the enemy gun team and captured their guns .
foster was also awarded the médaille militaire by france .
