Pickles backs campaign to restore Victoria Cross hero graves to former glory
24 Apr 2014 12:59 PM
Communities Secretary
Eric Pickles announces £100,000 towards the restoration of the UK graves
of First World War Victoria Cross heroes.
This new funding provides a
significant boost to the ‘Honour Our VC
Heroes’ campaign launched by the Sun newspaper, in association
with the Victoria Cross
Trust.
The project aims to restore all
of these graves in need of repair. Headstones will be cleaned or replaced so
that the final resting place of those who received the highest military award
for valour is a truly fitting tribute to their sacrifice.
While some graves only require
minor work, others have fallen into a severe state of disrepair and require
extensive restoration. Headstones have become illegible; stones have crumbled
away leaving them unstable; and some are in danger of collapse. As a result
many people are unaware that a Victoria Cross recipient is buried in their
community.
Communities Secretary Eric
Pickles said:
An entire generation of men
fought for Britain’s freedom in the First World War and all fought
valiantly. But for hundreds of those men their bravery was of such an
exceptional nature they were bestowed with the highest military award, the
Victoria Cross.
As these men were honoured then
for their extreme bravery on the battlefields, they should be honoured still.
That is why I am privileged to offer more than £100,000 towards this
project to ensure that their final resting places are venerated memorials where
communities can pay their respects and learn about their local
heroes.
The Sun newspaper’s
outstanding campaign will make sure the graves of our Victoria Cross heroes
become places to reflect on their selfless service to the nation. I hope that
readers of the Sun will be inspired to contribute and return these historic
sites to their former glory.
Funding provided by the
Department for Communities and Local Government will also match the money
raised by readers’ donations.
The government is leading on
commemorations to mark the centenary of the First World War.
Last year the Communities
Secretary announced a national campaign of commemorative paving stones to be
laid in the place of birth of First World War Victoria Cross recipients across
the country so that communities will have a permanent memorial of their local
heroes.
The design of the stone was
decided by a national competition and thewinning entry was unveiled by the Secretary of
State and the first living recipient of the Victoria Cross, Lance Sergeant
Johnson Beharry, in November 2013.
Read Eric Pickles’
article on honouring our Victoria Cross heroes.
Further
information
The Victoria Cross
Trust is a charitable organisation that works to ensure the graves of
every Victoria Cross recipient are maintained. They fundraise to generate
income to subsidise the grave upkeep and preservation.
A list of the First World War Victoria Cross recipients who
are buried in the UK. (MS Excel
Spreadsheet, 47.6KB)
For more information about this
project and how it will run please contact theVictoria Cross
Trust.
The Department for Communities
and Local Government will match the money donated by readers of the Sun up to
an agreed limit.
The commemorative paving
stones will be laid in over 400 communities across the UK, the first
of which will be laid in August 2014.
Seven judges were on the panel
who decided on the winning paving stone design, these were: Lord Ashcroft,
Lance Sergeant Johnson Beharry, Michael Burleigh, Major General Patrick
Cordingley, Sebastian Faulks, Dame Helen Ghosh and Diane Lees.
All Victoria Cross heroes of the
First World War will be commemorated; for those born overseas but who have a
local connection in the UK, the relevant local council will be offered a paving
stone; we are also working on plans to ensure that all heroes who were awarded
the Victoria Cross, but who were born overseas, are
commemorated.
Find more information on
government’s plans for the First World War
centenary.
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