[1] He was 27 years old, and an acting corporal in the 9th Battalion, The Sherwood Foresters (The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment),[2] British Army during the Battle of Broodseinde in the First World War when he performed a deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On 4 October 1917 at Poelcapelle, east of Ypres, Belgium, when the platoon was held up by machine-gun fire from a concrete stronghold and the platoon commander and sergeant were casualties, Corporal Greaves, followed by another NCO, rushed forward, reached the rear of the building and bombed the occupants, killing or capturing the garrison and the machine-gun.

Later, at a most critical period of the battle, during a heavy counter-attack, all the officers of the company became casualties and Corporal Geaves collected his men, threw out extra posts on the threatened flank and opened up rifle and machine-gun fire to enfilade the advance.

[1] His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Sherwood Foresters Museum, Nottingham Castle, England.

[2] On 2 August 2014 a commemorative plaque to Greaves was unveiled in the Chesterfield FC Memorial Garden at the Proact Stadium.