Rank:

Lance-Sergeant

Unit:

1st Battalion, The Leicestershire Regiment.

Awarded on:

November 7th, 1939

Citation:
"On 21 August, 1939, during operations against the village of Bandiza in Waziristan, seven casualties were received as a result of a heavy attack on one of the picquets of 1st Battalion The Leicester Regiment.
Three of the men were missing in the thick scrub when the picquet withdrew behind the crest of Bodari Sar, where our forward troops were in position.
At this time considerable numbers of the enemy had crept up in the scrub on the forward slope of Bodari Sar. They were covered by riflemen posted on a ridge some 300 yards away.
Lance-Sergeant Blake volunteered to go forward and search for the missing men. He went out at once and brought a dead soldier and his rifle. He went out a second time with four men and remained in an exposed position, searching the scrub for the two missing soldiers. He was under fire at close range at the time and there were considerable numbers of the enemy near him in the scrub. He delayed his withdrawal to go forward and bomb a party of the enemy below him.
His complete disregard for his personal safety and his collness and bravery under fire was a fine example to all ranks."