Private SAMUEL HARVEY, VC.

BORN: 17^th September, 1881, Basford, Nottingham. The son of William and Mary, and brother to Emily, Rose, Annie, William, Halyn, Frederick, George, Henry and Ellen.

SERVED: 1^st Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment. He was 34 years old, and a Private in the British Army during the First World War, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

DATE OF GAZETTE: November, 1915.

V.C. CITATION:

On the 29th September, 1915, in the big Willie Trench near the Hohenzollern Redoubt, France, during a heavy bombing attack, more bombs were urgently needed. Private Harvey volunteered to run across open ground under intense fire backwards and forwards, and succeeded in bringing up 30 boxes of bombs over a 13 hour period before he fell with a head wound. It was largely due to his cool bravery in supplying the bombs, that the enemy was eventually driven back.

Samuel Harvey was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace, on the 24th January, 1917. An appeal has been made for information on the whereabouts of Harvey's VC, which was lost by him some time later.

Harvey received the French Legion of Honour (5th Class) and the Cross of St. George (Russia).

DIED: 23rd September, 1960. He had fallen on hard times and, when he died, was subsequently buried in an unmarked pauper's grave. He was honoured on 29th September, 2000, with a headstone, 40 years after his death, and 85 years to the day after his heroic VC action.

 BURIED: Ipswich Old Cemetery (Public Communal Grave)  

It was separate lines of enquiry that coincided to lead to the ceremony. Michael Brown, researching the Great War, went to the Old Cemetery Office to ask if he could take photographs relating to the other Ipswich VC winner, Sergeant Arthur Saunders of the Suffolk Regiment. Miss Lynn Burroughs in the Office drew his attention to the unmarked grave of Sam Harvey.

Stuart Bufton, the Chairman of the Suffolk Branch of the Western Front Association was approached, and he readily agreed to raise the matter at the next Branch meeting. The Branch enthusiastically supported the idea, and a Committee was formed, which included Chris Matson, co-author of a book recounting the stories of all who won a VC on the Western Front in 1915, who generously made his own research available. A fine example of cooperation and cross-information.

The ceremony was carried out in the presence of The Worshipful Mayor of Ipswich and consort; relatives of Samuel Harvey; representatives of his former Regiment, The York & Lancaster Regiment, and members of the Western Front Association which had raised funds for the memorial. The Honour Guard comprised The Association for Military Remembrance "The Khaki Chums", with music provided by The Community Wind Band, and bugler Bramwell Scott of the Salvation Army.

The new headstone was dedicated at the graveside of Samuel Harvey at Ipswich Old Cemetery. He died penniless on 23rd September, 1960, aged 79, in the former Workhouse at Stow Lodge Hospital, Stowmarket, Suffolk, where he had been a patient for 16 months. His only possession was his VC miniature medal group, which was next to his pillow.

Victoria Cross

1914- 1915 Star

British War Medal 1914-1920

Victory Medal 1914-1919

King George VI Coronation Medal 1937

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953

Knight, Legion of Honour 5th Class France

Cross of the Order of St George Russia