The Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee About Us

In 1990, I started visiting the Western Front Battlefields, and took a keen interest in all aspects of the Great War, including a study of Victoria Cross recipients; Derek and I are also a members of the Western Front Association, East Midlands Branch and have been members of The Victoria Cross Society for a number of years.

I have since that time, with Mr. Derek Price, visited the graves of over 360 Victoria Cross holders across Belgium, France, America, and the UK. We have complete records and photographs of our visits, and would be happy to assist anyone who either shares our interest, or would like any photographs from our visits.

In January 2005, I visited all of the Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross holders graves and, from there, began the long journey with a few friends, and then members of the Humpston family, to obtain a memorial headstone for the grave of Robert Humpston VC in Nottingham’s General Cemetery.

This came to a successful conclusion in September 2007, and I must thank Mr. Derek Price and my son Peter, a serving Sergeant in the Royal Air Force, for all of their support from the very beginning. Again the complete records of the project from inception to completion are available, should anyone wish to view them.

In 2008, I was the Project Leader of a group of people who provided a memorial for Charles Ernest Garforth VC. Again working with the family, in this case members of the Garforth family, we secured the placement of a memorial in Wilford Hill Cemetery. For both of these projects, letters of support were received from Buckingham Palace.

I now have the honour to be the Chairman of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee, which is totally dedicated to obtaining a memorial for the 20 Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross holders, who were either born in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire, or laid to rest therein. As the project expanded, I have been delighted to have Dave Green, the Manager of Nottingham Castle, on board, along with Dianne McCutcheon.

I must mention the Committee, which comprises of Chris Stewart, Derek Price, Peter Higton, Ben Percival, Geoff Allen.

All members of the Committee have done a sterling job, and without them this project would not have happened. Indeed, lifelong friendships have been formed, and we will move on to other things.

In conclusion, my sincere thanks go to the people of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire for their generosity and support, without which we would not be able to preserve this important part of our heritage by the provision of a County VC Memorial.

Committee Member Derek Price

I was born in Birmingham, and moved to Nottinghamshire in 1971. I have lived in Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire, since 1988. Prior to that I lived in Bingham, where I also worked for nearly thirty years.

I first got to know Tony in 1987, when I worked with him. Since then we have become great friends, and it was he who got me interested in the Great War. In 1999, we both joined the Western Front Association, East Midlands Branch and have been members of The Victoria Cross Society for a number of years.

It was also in 1999 that I first went over to France and Belgium. Tony took me to the Ypres Salient for the first of many trips. We travelled down overnight, and arrived whilst it was still dark. We parked up at a place called Sanctuary Wood until it became light. Later, we had a look around the cemetery, which to me was a beautiful place. It was peaceful, well kept, and well visited. Driving down the road I stopped the car and said,” Look at that field, it looks like it’s been snowing.” It was just white over. Tony said” That’s Hooge Crater cemetery, Patrick Budgen VC is buried in there.” That view will stay with me forever.

Since then we have visited all the cemeteries in the Ypres Salient many times, and have adopted the grave of an unknown soldier in Minty Farm. We visit this grave twice a year to lay a wreath to all of the fallen. We have also visited hundreds more cemeteries as far down as Verdun to see British, French, German, Indian, Polish, American and Chinese graves.

It was from these visits that we became interested in the recipients of the Victoria Cross. To date, Tony and I have visited the graves of over 370 of these very brave men in the UK, France and Belgium, some of them many times.

In January 2005, Tony visited the last resting places of all the Victoria Cross winners that are laid to rest in Nottinghamshire. He discovered that that two had no headstones or memorials to them (see Tony’s write up). A headstone was subsequently erected to Robert Humpston VC in September 2007, and a memorial to Charles Ernest Garforth VC, in August 2008.

On 18th February, 2009, The Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee was set up with the aim of erecting a memorial to Nottinghamshire’s VC recipients in the grounds of Nottingham Castle. The main criterion for a name to be included on the memorial was that the recipient had to be born or laid to rest in Nottinghamshire.

I worked in the background producing stationery, booklets, etc, until June 2009, when I was asked to join the Committee. Since then, I have got to know many people who have become great friends.

The project that we have been working on has given all members of the Committee a great sense of pride, and we have got to know and talk to some of the families of VC recipients. The support the people of Nottinghamshire have given us has been wonderful, and so have the efforts of local businesses, which have spent a lot of time fundraising for us, for which we are grateful.

Whilst we are now running down the project, we are still fund raising, as we would like to set up a Trust fund for the future maintenance and repair of the nine graves of Nottinghamshire VC winners. We are also collating all the paperwork, so that it can be archived in Nottingham Castle for future generations to see.

Currently, the Committee are working together on a small project to renovate the burial plot of Sir Henry Wilmot VC, and have gained permission and help from the family who we are in contact with. We hope to have a meeting with all interested parties later on in the year.

SECRETARY – GEOFF ALLEN

In the mid 1990’s, I was appointed to the post of Superintendent & Registrar in the Cemeteries and Crematorium Section of Nottingham City Council, where I had responsibility for the day to day management of the many burial, cremation, and memorialisation services the Team provided.

It was whilst working in Bereavement Services that I first met Tony Higton in April 2007, after an ongoing enquiry made by him to a colleague was referred to me. I was subsequently able to help Tony secure the placement of a headstone on the previously unmarked, common grave of Robert Humpston VC, in Nottingham’s General Cemetery. I very much enjoyed my involvement in this project, as I have had a lifelong interest in history and things military.

Shortly after the completion of this project, I came into contact with Tony again. This time it was in connection with the provision and erection of a suitable memorial to the late Charles Ernest Garforth VC who had been cremated at Wilford Hill Crematorium, and whose cremated remains had been scattered in the nearby Garden of Rest. Once again, a very satisfactory outcome was achieved.

I took early retirement in the Autumn of 2008 but, in the following year, was approached by Tony and asked to become a member of the newly established Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee which had been formally established in February 2009. This Committee was, “a group of like minded people who had come together to raise awareness of the lives of the twenty recipients of the Victoria Cross who had been either born in Nottinghamshire, or laid to rest therein; to provide details of their last resting places, and to provide a fitting County Memorial in a prominent location.” I was delighted to have been asked, and joined forthwith. In the Spring of 2010, and following the resignation of the previous post holder, I agreed to act as Secretary to the Committee. I am pleased I did, as I very much enjoy working closely with my friends on the Committee, and in responding to the interesting challenges this secretarial post presents.

The culmination of the Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Memorial Project took place on the 7^th May 2010, and I was

absolutely thrilled to have been part of the Team which had achieved the provision and erection of such an awesome memorial to honour the memory of twenty very brave men in the grounds of Nottingham Castle.

The Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee is now winding down, and existing and future assets pertaining to this project will be used to establish an ongoing sinking fund to maintain all the VC memorials located in Nottinghamshire.

The work of the Group is, however, far from finished and before we reform under a new name in Autumn, the replacement of a badly eroded headstone on the grave of the late Sir Henry Wilmot VC in St. Mary’s Churchyard, Chaddesden, Derby, is to be actively pursued in conjunction with both the Wilmot family and the Church Authorities.

As one well known advert states, “It’s good to be part of a winning Team, “and I most certainly feel that way in having regard to my friends on the Committee, and what has been achieved!! Whatever we decide to do next, be it a major project or something less large, and whatever name change the Group decides upon to reflect revised aims or objectives, some things are certain – we will maintain our camaraderie, our sense of fun, and a determination to see any scheme embarked upon all the way through to completion!!

So continue to keep an eye on the “Latest News “page of this website to see what we have been up to!!

Treasurer - Chris Stewart

I am the Treasurer of the Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Vitoria Cross Committee.

In October 2006, I was asked to act as Treasurer for a project to erect a suitable memorial to Lance Corporal John Joseph Caffrey, VC.

John Joseph Caffrey, VC., was buried in a grave with his mother, but the existing headstone made no mention of John. So, along with the project leader and the family, we started to raise funds to erect a memorial listing John as also being interred in the grave.

The project raised £1500.00, and the memorial was dedicated in May, 2007. The project raised more money than was required, so we sent over £200.00 to the Victoria and George Cross Association, as they were a major subscriber to the project.

In August, 2008, I received an invitation to the Dedication Service for Charles Ernest Garforth, VC. At the Service I was introduced to Tony Higton, the project leader.

Following the meeting, Tony invited me to take on the role of Treasurer for a new project he, and the rest of the Committee, was starting. This turned out to be what we now know as the Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee.

The Committee’s main goal was to erect a fitting memorial to 20 VC holders from Nottingham & Nottinghamshire. This was achieved in May, 2010, and stands in the grounds of the famous Nottingham Castle. The pride that I share with the other members of the Committee in this achievement will be very difficult to surpass.

I served with the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment and, while on posting in Londonderry in 1972, my life was saved by Lance Corporal William Cashmore, MM.

We were on patrol and came under fire. I was shot in the leg, and L.Cpl. Cashmore came to my assistance. He was shot whilst pulling me to safety and, in doing so, L.Cpl. Cashmore was awarded the Military Medal for putting his own life in danger for another soldier.

This is one of the main reasons I am involved with my project work. To owe one’s life to another is a very humbling feeling, and I feel that I wish to give something back from myself to L.Cpl. Cashmore, and to every other hero that put their life in danger to save someone else.

When you read the stories of how these brave men earned their Victoria Crosses, you may understand how I, as an ex-soldier, may feel after having my own life saved by an extremely brave man, and why I felt I needed to be part of this wonderful project.

My leg was amputated as a result of the shooting, and for many years I have been a member of BLESMA (The British Limbless Ex - Service Men’s Association).

This is an Organisation dedicated to assisting forces personnel who have lost limbs while serving in all branches of the Armed Forces. They hold rehabilitation events for ex-servicemen and those still serving, and also have a team of dedicated staff on hand to assist all members with any problem which may be faced.