The town of Barking in east Greater London has created a wonderful monument to its fallen in the Great War. It features a sculpture of Barking's WWI Victoria Cross recipient, Job Henry Charles Drain, and a smashing panel depicting the action in which Drain risked his life.
He and his officer, Captain Douglas Reynolds, and his fellow driver Frederick Luke, all received the VC for the action. Drain and Luke were personally awarded with their Victoria Crosses by King George V in France on 1 December 1914. Reynolds received his decoration from the King in January at Buckingham Palace and was promoted to major. He was killed in action on the Western Front on 23 February 1916. Luke and Drain both became sergeants and survived the war.
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An inscription on the relief summarizes the action nicely:
Le Cateau, France 26 August 1914
On this day, the 37th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, had lost four of their six howitzer guns in action. Driver Job Drain was one of the soldiers who volunteered to recover the last of the guns. Under intense fire and showing disregard for his own safety, he drove his team of horses within yards of the German lines, retrieving the last remaining gun thus preventing it from falling into enemy hands. For this act of bravery he received the Victoria Cross.
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| The Proud Soldier Wearing His Victoria Cross |
A second inscription on the panel reads:
In memory of the sons and daughters of Barking and Dagenham who fell in the Great War.
After the war, Drain had some difficulty getting back into civilian life.He worked as a messenger for government offices in Whitehall, then as a fish porter, a local bus driver, and finally for the London Electricity Board. Job died in 1975 at age 79 and is buried at the local Rippleside Cemetery.
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| 42 Greatfields Road, Barking |
Sources: Victoriacross.org.uk, Fine a Grave, Statues Hither & Thither, Barking and District Historical Society; Joolz Guides YouTube
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