Brigadier Percy Howard Hansen, (26 October 1890 – 12 February 1951) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to personnel of the British and Commonwealth forces.
Early life
Hansen was born into a wealthy and well-connected Danish family that settled first in South Africa then, after 1900, in London. He was educated at preparatory schools in Hazelwood, Limpsfield, Surrey and Oxted, Surrey; then at Eton College (from 20 September 1904).
First World War
Hansen was appointed as a temporary captain shortly after the outbreak of war in 1914, as adjutant in the 6th (Service) Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, On the night of 9 September 1915, he carried out a solo reconnaissance of the coast, carrying only a revolver and a blanket for disguise. He successfully located an important Turkish firing position.
- Mentioned in dispatches five times
- Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star (France)
- Officer of the Legion of Merit (14 November 1947, United States)
- Commander of the Royal Order of St Olav (Norway)
Birthplace and place of death controversy
There is disagreement concerning the places of Hansen's birth and death. Some sources state that he was born in Durban, South Africa; another says "Dresden, Germany (where his parents were taking a cure)".