James Scully

Who is James Scully?

Acting Corporal James Patrick Scully of the Pioneer Corps was awarded the George Cross for the valour he displayed on the 8 March 1941 in Liverpool in rescuing people from a bomb damaged building. He was originally from Crumlin, Dublin.

The citation was published in the London Gazette on 8 July 1941, and reads:

Scully was the only member of the Pioneer Corps to be awarded the George Cross. No members of the Pioneer Corps have won the Victoria Cross while serving with the corps, although Francis George Miles served with the corps in World War II after winning the VC while serving with the Gloucestershire Regiment in World War I.

James Scully was the first Catholic recipient of a George Cross and is commemorated by a sculpture at Simpson Barracks. A Troop of the modern-day Royal Logistics Corps is also named after him.

Corporal Scully's medal group including the George Cross was sold at auction in London on 5 July 2011 for £72,000. The auction was held by Dix Noonan Webb and was lot number 705. It was sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s Soldier’s Service and Pay Book; Buckingham Palace Coronation Medal 1953 certificate; membership certificate for the Royal Society of St George; two or three portrait photographs, and the cover feature of The Hornet of January 1967, featuring the recipient’s G.C.-winning exploits.