Two acts of valour from this young private saved the lives of his comrades in the narrow streets of Al Amarah, Iraq
Johnson Beharry did not have an easy life growing up. Born in 1979 in Grenada, then recently independent from British rule, the Beharry family lived in poverty. During the early days of the post-independence, Marxist-Leninist regime, the young Beharry had to walk three miles (5km) to school barefoot. This difficult start to life set Beharry on his journey to joining the British Army as he saved up enough money to move to the UK when he was 20. Yet he would not join the army immediately after arriving in West London; instead, he continued to work as a labourer on building sites, as he had done in Grenada since he was just 13.
While living in the UK, Beharry almost became caught up with West London gangs, but in August 2001 enlisted and joined the Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment. Just a month later, the attack on the World Trade Center in New York would set world events in motion that would soon lead Beharry to war. During training, Beharry qualified as a Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle driver. While serving in the coalition counter-insurgency in Iraq, his training would eventually enable him to not only save his own life but also the lives of those serving around him on two separate occasions, leading to him being awarded the Victoria Cross for “two individual acts of great heroism”. According to Beharry, one of the acts he can recall, and the other he cannot.
His first act occurred in the early hours of 1 May 2004, in the dark streets around Al Amarah in south-east Iraq. Beharry had been assigned to be part of the Quick Reaction Force and its duty was to be on hand to provide support and help for the patrol that was operating on foot in the city. His commander had decided to set up their vehicle unit halfway between the patrol in the city and camp to allow for quick deployment.
Al Amarah had been an anti-Saddam Hussein stronghold during his premiership, but in 2003 the city turned against the British Army that had previously supported them. Militias and various forces from the city attacked British patrols at every opportunity, making this a dangerous place for Beharry’s comrades. After only 12 minutes of waiting at the checkpoint, Beharry’s company received a call for help. At the head of his unit, Beharry drove toward the city with the assistance of his commander, who was in the Warrior with him and helped him navigate through the streets – providing an alternative route for the convoy when the route was blocked.
Suddenly, the roar of an explosion bellowed its way through Beharry’s vehicle. He called to his commander: no reply. He
