Plaque to honour city war heroes

By Neil Aitchison
BBC News

George Ravenhill, who won the VC, would be one of those honoured

A memorial plaque could be erected in honour of Birmingham servicemen who won the Victoria Cross and George Cross.

Many of the 25 soldiers lie in unmarked graves and campaigners for a memorial have said it would restore a piece of lost civic pride to the city.

The council said it supported the idea and hoped the plaque would be in place by the end of next year.

It would commemorate all of the city's winners of the two honours stretching back to 1867.

It is likely to be put up in Centenary Square or Victoria Square in the city centre, but no planning application has been made.

This plaque will bring these men back into public notice, so they are remembered for evermore Chris Sutton, Historian

One soldier who would be honoured is George Ravenhill, from Aston, in Birmingham.

The private in the Royal Scots Fusiliers was awarded the Victoria Cross for "conspicuous gallantry" in 1899 at the Battle of Colenso during the Boer War.

The citation for his honour describes how he helped to retrieve a number of heavy guns after the men operating them were killed or driven back by enemy fire.

He "left his sheltered position several times under extremely heavy fire", the citation reads, preventing the guns being turned on British troops and causing heavy loss of life.

He lies in an unmarked mass grave in Witton Cemetery, though his name appears on a memorial at the site.

The plaque would be all the more significant for his family as George Ravenhill was ordered to forfeit his medal after being convicted of stealing a small quantity of iron.

'Recognition of bravery'

He died a pauper, despite protesting that he should have received an enhanced pension for being awarded his VC.

His great-grandson, Matthew Ravenhill, who lives in Erdington, said: "The VC is the biggest medal in the world and to have my family name on a plaque in Birmingham honouring VC winners, I would be over the moon.

"It's tinged with sadness that this amazing act of bravery was forgotten and he was treated appallingly. So to have this recognition for people from Birmingham would be fantastic."

Birmingham historian Chris Sutton, who campaigned for the plaque, said: "This was an act of extraordinary bravery, it was lunacy really, most people wouldn't have broke cover but he did.

Civic pride

"George Ravenhill is one of the VC winners who would benefit most from a public memorial because it's difficult to put a memorial on his grave as he is buried in a mass grave.

"People don't generally go around cemeteries, so this plaque will bring these men back into public notice, so they are remembered for evermore."

"The plaque will restore a bit of civic pride in Birmingham, it'll fill a hole in the civic history of the city."

A spokeswoman for Birmingham City Council said: "It is expected the plaque would be placed in a suitably prominent position within the city centre, we are currently discussing its design and cost implications."

A service to commemorate Victoria Cross holders from the West Midlands region is to be held at Lichfield Cathedral on 10 June.