Unveiling of the New Samuel Morley VC Plaque

at the Grange Hall, Radcliffe On Trent

Thursday 12^th August, 2010, saw two members of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee attend the Fun for Heroes Day, and the unveiling of the new memorial plaque to Samuel Morley VC at the Grange Hall, Radcliffe on Trent.

Tony Higton, Committee Chairman, and Derek Price, Committee Webmaster, were invited, and Tony was asked to give a small speech about Samuel Morley VC, which he duly gave.

Also in attendance were Mr. John Morley, the Great Grandson of Samuel Morley VC, other members of the Morley family, The Mayor of Rushcliffe Councillor Marie Males, The Chairman of Radcliffe on Trent Parish Council Councillor Wally Smith, Councillor Dave Smith, Councillor Georgia Moore, and Mr. Dave Gibbon, along with other Radcliffe residents who had helped raise the money for the plaque.

The unveiling of the plaque was carried out by Mr. John Morley, who gave a speech of thanks to the Parish Council. The ceremony was followed by a reception in the Trent Room.

Both Derek and Tony were then engaged by like minded people who shared the interest of preserving the memory of such brave men and, as normally happens, phone numbers and email addresses were exchanged as our circle of friends expanded, and as we explained our aspirations for our future projects.

We were most impressed by Dave Gibbon’s plan to have Samuel Morley’s portrait painted, including the method of how this was going to be achieved by using an old print of Samuel and other family photos.

It was a most enjoyable event, and we send our sincere thanks to Radcliffe on Trent Council for inviting us, the caterers for feeding us, and a very special thank you to Mike Elliott for organising the event. By the way, Mike is Clerk of the Council to an amazing 17 Parish Councils, a very special man indeed.

NOTTINGHAM BREWERY PRESENTATION

A cheque for £2,500 was presented to the Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee by Philip Darby, Managing Director of the Nottingham Brewery, at a small reception held in Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem on Wednesday, 4^th August, 2010.

The money was raised from the donation by the Nottingham Brewery of 10p for every pint of Robin Hood Beer (A Hero’s Brew!!) sold.

Tony Higton, the Chairman of our Committee said,” We are delighted to receive this cheque as it now enables us fulfil the goals we set over eighteen months ago.”

A very tasty, and much appreciated buffet was provided for those attending the event by Rosie St.John, the Landlady of Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem.

The Committee is very grateful to all those Nottinghamshire real ale drinkers out there who tried and enjoyed the wonderful new brew and, at the same time, contributed to the magnificent sum of £2,500 towards the provision and maintenance of a “A Memorial to local VC Heroes” in the grounds of Nottingham Castle. May you have continued power to your elbow!!

NOTTINGHAM AND NOTTINGHAMSHIRE VICTORIA CROSS COMMITTEE

The Installation Story

Following months of preparatory work by the Committee, the order for granite for the Victoria Cross Memorial was placed on the 6^th January 2010. This was to enable the memorial to be installed and dedicated on Friday the 7^th May, 2010 within the grounds of Nottingham Castle.

The progress made with regard to the delivery of the granite was carefully monitored by Mr. Ben Percival of Ernest Smith Stonemasons and, after a few hiccups which were totally out of Ben’s control, it duly arrived here in England on time (just).

The Committee had its first viewing of the memorial on 22^nd April, when we were invited to view the granite which had been made ready for the lettering to be blasted into the polished face of the stone. It was our very last chance to make sure we had got it right!! After careful inspection, we were all happy for the lettering to be proceeded with.

We were again invited to view the memorial on Friday 30^th April, 2010, after all the lettering had been cut, and the gold leaf applied. This proved to be a moving experience for all who were there, and a joyous occasion for us all. Many photographs were taken, and many questions asked about the actual installation of this 3 ton block of granite. We were all satisfied with the replies we received from Ben and his Team. Those of us who could make it, arranged to be at Nottingham Castle on the 4^th May to see the granite carefully placed in position.

It was a cold start to the day on Tuesday 4^th May, and several of the Committee turned up in their new Victoria Cross fleeces to see the memorial placed in position.  At 9:30 the lorry arrived, ironically the name of the haulage contractor was R. R. Memmory Haulage Ltd. (how very apt.)

The delicate operation of unloading the 3 ton precious cargo was soon underway, with everything being done with extreme caution .Ben’s experienced Team proved just how a professional Team should work together. After a little bit of manoeuvring, the memorial was lowered onto blocks of ICE (an ingenious way of removing the lowering straps). The ice was then melted, thus lowering the memorial onto its very substantial base. The memorial, once in place, was grouted around the base, and bark chippings placed around the perimeter of the foundation where turf had been removed.

Friday 7^th May, 2010, was the day of the unveiling of the new Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Memorial in the grounds of Nottingham Castle. It was another cold, early morning start, with members of the organising Committee arriving at 09:30.

 The memorial stone was given a last polish before the Union Flag was draped over it.

Although the proceedings were not due to start until 1:30 pm, people started gathering before 11:30. The official photographer, Gill Shaw, arrived at 11:45 and group Committee photographs around the memorial were taken prior to the commencement of proceedings.

Distinguished guests and civic dignitaries began arriving at 12:30. These included the Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, Sir Andrew Buchanan, Mr John (Jack) Bamford, a George Cross recipient, and The Lord Mayor of Nottingham, who has been most supportive of this project  and helped in so many ways with the fund raising.

 Also in attendance was the Chairman of the County Council, the Mayors, Leaders and Chief Executives of several Nottinghamshire Local Authorities, along with business leaders from the County which included Mr Chris Holmes the Managing Director of The Castle Rock Brewery, representatives from the F.H. Mall, and Mr. Phil Darby from the Nottingham Brewery.

The Lord Lieutenant, Lord Mayor and Mr. Bamford, were escorted by Sergeant Peter Higton, a serving member of the  Royal Air Force.

At precisely 13:45, the Parade, which consisted of The Royal British Legion Standards, The Mercian Regimental Ram (Corporal Derby) and his handlers, 30 members of the Royal Engineers, members of the Great War Society dressed in World War One uniforms, The Albert Ball Air Cadets, and various other military representatives, began to march from the Robin Hood statue outside the grounds of Nottingham Castle. They proceeded through the main gates of the Castle up to the memorial area. How proud they made us all feel.

The Reverend Stephen Morris began the Service at 2:00pm with opening remarks. This was followed by speeches from Sir Andrew Buchanan, the Lord Lieutenant, and Mr. Tony Higton the Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee Chairman. The Service was then progressed by the Reverend Stephen Morris, and wreaths were laid.

 Mr. John Jackson, Chairman of the Nottinghamshire British Legion, then read out the names and Regiments of the 20 Victoria Cross holders.  The Service then continued with prayers, and the Homage, which was spoken by Mr. John Jackson. This was then followed by The Last Post with 2 minutes silence and Reveille. Finally, Mr. Chris Stewart read the Kohima.

Official photographs were taken by Gill Shaw, who was ably assisted by Mr. Derek Price.

The Parade was then reformed and marched away, with the Lord Lieutenant taking the salute at the Albert Ball Memorial Statue accompanied by the Lord Mayor and Mr. Bamford.

Members of the public were invited to take their own photographs around the memorial. Half an hour later, the Committee and invited guests retired to the Canalhouse for a light buffet lunch. This social gathering rounded off a very special day for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Later that evening, in the grounds of Nottingham Castle, an Annual Service to mark the death of Albert Ball VC took place. Following this Service, the large contingent of Air Cadets marched past the New Victoria Cross Memorial. A salute was taken, and the Air Cadet standards were lowered.

The Memorial prior to the Service of Dedication in the grounds of Nottingham Castle.

Royal Engineers on Parade

Victoria Cross recipients familys

In having achieved the objective of securing a unique County Memorial to honour the twenty recipients of the Victoria Cross who were either born in Nottingham or Nottinghamshire, or laid to rest therein, the Committee gave a great deal of thought and consideration to both the name and future direction of the Group. At a Committee meeting on Monday, 18th October, 2010, after much discussion, it was decided that the name of the Group be changed to, “The Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee,” in order to reflect a much wider remit whilst retaining the original core principles of the Group. It was further decided that the change of name should take immediate effect.

Since that date, concern and disappointment has been expressed by a number of our Friends and Supporters, including Councillor Brian Grocock, The Lord Mayor of Nottingham, about the loss of,” Nottingham,” from the name of the Group. In having regard to these views, and to a number of other factors, it has been decided to revert back to the original name of, “The Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee,"

 Our Committee has a wealth of information and experience at hand, and is quite willing to share the knowledge with anyone, or to help any like minded groups, so please do not hesitate to contact us.

notts.vc.memorial@btconnect.com 

Councillor Mick Wildgust, who represents the Bestwood Ward, was appointed the new Lord Mayor of Nottingham at a full meeting of the City Council on Monday, 23^rd May, 2011.

We are delighted that Councillor Wildgust has agreed to become a Patron of the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Victoria Cross Committee during his term of Office, and wish him an enjoyable and memorable year.

The Committee considers itself to be extremely fortunate to have both Councillor Wildgust and Councillor Grocock, two very hard working and respected local politicians, as our Patrons.