VC Monument Campaign

[ORAC]

Independent: MPs demand public monument to Britain's most gallant soldiers (http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2919629.ece)

Britain's most gallant heroes should be honoured with their own public memorial, MPs from all parties have said, as two British soldiers were nominated for the Victoria Cross for bravery while serving in Afghanistan.

A petition has been put on the Downing Street website (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/VC-GC-Memorial/) calling for the Government to commemorate recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest gallantry award for the military, and the George Cross, the highest award for bravery given to civilians and to soldiers who are not actually facing the enemy at the time.

A campaign has also been launched on the social networking vehicle Facebook to increase pressure on Gordon Brown to establish a memorial, possibly in Trafalgar Square, Parliament Square or another central London venue.

Although they have carried out some of the most heroic acts ever performed, there is currently no visible public memorial to holders of the Victoria Cross. The only one is within the MoD's Whitehall offices.

Recent recipients include Private Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 2005 for two individual acts of bravery in which he saved the lives of his comrades in Iraq while facing enemy fire.

It emerged last night that Captain David Hicks, who died of his wounds, and Corporal Oliver Ruecker are to be nominated for VCs

"It is about time that the British public were given the opportunity to pay tribute to these great men and women, who have provided outstanding service to their community and their friends and colleagues in the most testing and trying conditions and times," said Lee Rotherham, who is coordinating the campaign. "There is cross-party support for this and from the public.

"The time has surely come to create a national memorial accessible to all."

[fabs]

Petition signed!
Not true though the statement about there being no public memorial. There is one in Leeds (just in front of the town hall), albeit only having the names of those VC holders from the West Yorkshire area.

[Al R]

This might jar with the general opinion, and I don't mean any dissrespect to anyone, or to the supreme heroism of VC winners, but I don't like the idea of monuments to living people (whether its Mandela or Maggie, I just don't like it), and I'm sure that living recipients wouldn't want to be deified so either. If VC winners have made the supreme sacrifice, then we have the Cenotaph and we all have village monuments I guess. In such an instance, we shouldn't differentiate between the manner of how they died, just that they did. Anyone who dies for us, VC or not, is worthy of equal recognition.

I have to say too, that the g'ment should be doing a damned site more for the living veterans before they build another monument. More Corporate vets have died by their own hand than by the enemies.. thats not right. We have homeless vets, depressed vets, unemployed vets. Rather than spend money on marble, I wish the g'ment spent money on military hospitals or more body armour.

I don't wish to be dissrespectful, I hope that no one thinks that. A few years back, I dropped in here.. I didn't even know it was there, I was out on the bike and just saw it. Consequently, I was caught cold so to speak, and just sat there for an hour or so, thinking. They were all heroic.. VC winners or Chris from 51 who died last week. Lets leave it at that. :)

http://www.timchristie.ca/uk/south/025_22A.jpg

[228 OCU]

Signed.



If in doubt BANG OUT.

[Samuel]

"Recent recipients include Private Johnson Beharry, who was awarded the Victoria Cross in 2005 for two individual acts of bravery in which he saved the lives of his comrades in Iraq while facing enemy fire"
.
Even more recent:
New Zealand VC winner gets letter of congratulations from CGS
13 Jul 07
Chief of the General Staff General (CGS) Sir Richard Dannatt has written a letter of congratulations to a New Zealand Special Air Service (NZSAS) soldier recently awarded the Commonwealth's highest military honour for an exemplary act of bravery while on operations in Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark announced on Monday 2 July 2007 that Corporal Bill (Willy) Apiata would receive the Victoria Cross for New Zealand (VC), the first to be awarded to a New Zealander since WWII, for saving the life of a critically injured soldier during an intense fire fight in Afghanistan in 2004.
It was kept quiet untill 2007 because he is SAS.

[November4]

The only one is within the MoD's Whitehall offices.

And this one? (http://http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/aavcgcme.htm)

DEDICATION OF THE VICTORIA CROSS & GEORGE CROSS MEMORIAL IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY

On Wednesday, 14th May 2003, The Queen, as Patron of the Victoria Cross & George Cross Association, and the Duke of Edinburgh were present at the Service of Dedication of the Victoria Cross & George Cross Memorial in Westminster Abbey. The memorial is engraved in nabresina stone with enlarged bronze and silver crosses inlaid with enamelled ribbons.
A tri-service guard of honour stood outside the Great West Door, whilst inside a further guard of honour held flags of nations whose citizens have been recipients of the VC and GC. The Dean of Westminster, The Very Rev Dr Wesley Carr, assisted by the Rev Nicholas Holtam, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, officiated, with readings given by Colonel Stuart Archer GC OBE ERD, and Lieutenant Commander Ian Fraser VC, DSC, RD, Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively of the VC & GC Association.

The newly dedicated Memorial was carried by a Sailor, Soldier, Airman and a Policeman to its site at the west end of the Abbey. The party was preceded by four holders of the George Cross, Michael Pratt, Alf Lowe, Anthony Gledhill and Derek Kinne, and followed by four holders of the Victoria Cross, Lieutenant Commander Ian Fraser, Keith Payne, Flight Lieutenant John Cruickshank and Captain Rambahadur Limbu. Following the playing of the Last Post and Reveille, and the conclusion of the service, the memorial stone was placed on its stand by the Great West Door. ( The memorial stone was lowered into its place in the floor of the Abbey following the ceremony ).

[doubledolphins]

So there is one.

Why not up the "Pension" award with the Decoration instead? Spoke to Lt/Cdr Fraser at a funeral not too long ago, he confirmed that it has gone up recently but it is still way below the real value of the award at its instigation.

[November4]

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross)the original pension was £10 when the award was made. Then Queen Victoria upped this to £50 in 1898 and then in 2002 it was again upped to £1495.

According to MeasuringWorth.com

£10 in 1847 was worth £637 in 2006
£50 in 1898 was worth £3,829 in 2006
BY 2006 the current £1495 should be £1,680 to have kept pace with inflation.

The current pension should be more than doubled just to keep up with the £50 that Queen Victoria upped it to.

[polyglory]

Duly signed

The nations highest honour, deserves no less.

Lest we forget

[tablet_eraser]

There is a VC winners' board in the UJC too. Petition duly signed, though; not that our beloved Government is likely to heed the call, unpatriotic waste of oxygen that it is.

[Pontius Navigator]

The de facto 'place' for memorials appears to be the end of Green Park opposite the RAF Club and on the roundabout of the Wellington Monument.

In Green Park is a memorial to the Canadian Forces and then towards the Wellington Monument there are memorials to other Commonwealth countries. In the grounds is a set of steel posts to NZ forces. On the exit towards Victoria is yet another new memorial which was reminiscent of the US Vietnam memorial. I didn't have time to explore it but much of it seemed to be blank panels of granite. Some panels had been replaced with unit badges. The walls were adorned with names of battles, one I remember was Kohima.

There is plenty of space for a VC memorial.

In Copenhagen there is a striking statue between the Little Mermaid and the Castellette of Maj Lars Anders, RM, the only Dane I believe to win the VC.