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Stanley Elton Hollis was born in Middlesbrough on 21 September 1912.- In 1939 he enlisted as a Territorial Army volunteer in 4th Battalion, The Green Howards.-
At the outbreak of World War II he was mobilised and joined the 6th Battalion, The Green Howards and went to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 where he was employed as the Commanding Officer's dispatch rider.- He was promoted from Lance Corporal to Sergeant during the evacuation from Dunkirk. He then fought from El Alamein to Tunis as part of the British 8th Army in the North African Campaign. Hollis was appointed Company Sergeant Major just before the invasion of Sicily in 1943 where he was wounded at the battle of Primosole Bridge.-
During the fighting on D Day, CSM Hollis won the only Victoria Cross to be awarded that day.-
D-Day, June 6, 1944 and the men of the 6th Battalion, Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire Regiment) struggled ashore on a heavily defended section of Gold Beach. D Company landed near the Mont-Fleury battery on the King sector of Gold Beach as part of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division at 07:45. As D Company attacked the battery, the commanding officer, Major Ronnie Lofthouse, realised that the attacking platoon were coming under fire from the rear. -
Major Lofthouse noticed where the source of the flanking fire was and said to Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis, “There’s a pillbox in there, sergeant major.” He pointed to an area of bushes fifty yards to the right. Hollis immediately charged the pillbox alone with out waiting for further instructions.-
Hollis and Lofthouse were about half way up the road to Mont-Fleury, by the wall of “the house with the circular drive”, a clear feature on the aerial photographs that they had used to familiarise themselves with their mission, when they spotted the pillbox. Hollis immediately set off, firing his Sten submachine-gun as he ran. The germans in the bunker turned their machine-gun on him, but in their panic, they totally missed. When he reached the pillbox, he shoved his Sten gun through the slit and fired it into the interior. Hollis climbed on top of the pillbox, reloaded his Sten, and then dropped a grenade through the firing slit. Jumping down to investigate his handiwork, and finding the occupants either dead or stunned, Hollis then moved down a trench towards another pillbox that he had seen. On seeing this Hollis approaching their position, the Germans in the second pillbox surrendered. Hollis took over 25 prisoners and saved D Company from dangerous flanking fire.-
Later that day, he led an attack on an enemy position which contained a field gun and Spandau machine guns. After withdrawing he learned that two of his men had been left behind and told Major Lofthouse, his commanding officer, "I took them in. I will try to get them out."- Taking a grenade from one of his men Hollis carefully observed the enemy's pattern of behaviour and threw it at the most opportune moment. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to prime the grenade but the enemy did not know this and kept their heads down waiting for it to explode. By the time they realised their mistake Hollis was on top of them and had shot them.-
In September 1944 he was wounded in the leg and evacuated to England where he was decorated by King George VI at an investiture held in Buckingham Palace on 10 October 1944.-
Stanley E. Hollis V.C. died on 8 February 1972 and was buried in Acklam Cemetery Middlesbrough.-
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At the outbreak of World War II he was mobilised and joined the 6th Battalion, The Green Howards and went to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force in 1940 where he was employed as the Commanding Officer's dispatch rider.- He was promoted from Lance Corporal to Sergeant during the evacuation from Dunkirk. He then fought from El Alamein to Tunis as part of the British 8th Army in the North African Campaign. Hollis was appointed Company Sergeant Major just before the invasion of Sicily in 1943 where he was wounded at the battle of Primosole Bridge.-
During the fighting on D Day, CSM Hollis won the only Victoria Cross to be awarded that day.-
D-Day, June 6, 1944 and the men of the 6th Battalion, Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales’ Own Yorkshire Regiment) struggled ashore on a heavily defended section of Gold Beach. D Company landed near the Mont-Fleury battery on the King sector of Gold Beach as part of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division at 07:45. As D Company attacked the battery, the commanding officer, Major Ronnie Lofthouse, realised that the attacking platoon were coming under fire from the rear. -
Major Lofthouse noticed where the source of the flanking fire was and said to Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis, “There’s a pillbox in there, sergeant major.” He pointed to an area of bushes fifty yards to the right. Hollis immediately charged the pillbox alone with out waiting for further instructions.-
Hollis and Lofthouse were about half way up the road to Mont-Fleury, by the wall of “the house with the circular drive”, a clear feature on the aerial photographs that they had used to familiarise themselves with their mission, when they spotted the pillbox. Hollis immediately set off, firing his Sten submachine-gun as he ran. The germans in the bunker turned their machine-gun on him, but in their panic, they totally missed. When he reached the pillbox, he shoved his Sten gun through the slit and fired it into the interior. Hollis climbed on top of the pillbox, reloaded his Sten, and then dropped a grenade through the firing slit. Jumping down to investigate his handiwork, and finding the occupants either dead or stunned, Hollis then moved down a trench towards another pillbox that he had seen. On seeing this Hollis approaching their position, the Germans in the second pillbox surrendered. Hollis took over 25 prisoners and saved D Company from dangerous flanking fire.-
Later that day, he led an attack on an enemy position which contained a field gun and Spandau machine guns. After withdrawing he learned that two of his men had been left behind and told Major Lofthouse, his commanding officer, "I took them in. I will try to get them out."- Taking a grenade from one of his men Hollis carefully observed the enemy's pattern of behaviour and threw it at the most opportune moment. Unfortunately, he had forgotten to prime the grenade but the enemy did not know this and kept their heads down waiting for it to explode. By the time they realised their mistake Hollis was on top of them and had shot them.-
In September 1944 he was wounded in the leg and evacuated to England where he was decorated by King George VI at an investiture held in Buckingham Palace on 10 October 1944.-
Stanley E. Hollis V.C. died on 8 February 1972 and was buried in Acklam Cemetery Middlesbrough.-
flamesofwar.com
stanleyehollisvcmemorial.co.uk
wiki
