Guildford will honour WWI hero, Captain Francis Grenfell, exactly 100 years to the day since his heroic action at Audregnies in Belgium earned him a Victoria Cross for gallantry. There will be a special ceremony on Sunday 24 August where Captain Grenfell, who was born at Hatchlands, East Clandon, will be remembered.
Firstly, a service will take place at Holy Trinity Church in Guildford at 10am, followed by a ceremony where a commemorative paving stone will be unveiled at Tunsgate Arch on Guildford High Street at 11am in his honour. Twenty members of the Grenfell family will be attending on the day, with nine members of the 9th/12th Lancers Prince of Wales’s Regiment driving from Germany with Captain Grenfell’s medals to attend the ceremony.
In August 2013, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced a campaign to honour Victoria Cross recipients from the First World War. As part of this, commemorative paving stones will be laid in the birth place of Victoria Cross recipients to honour their bravery, provide a lasting legacy of local heroes within communities and enable residents to gain a greater understanding of how their area fitted into the First World War story.
Cllr Matt Furniss, portfolio holder for Guildford’s First World War commemorations, says, “We are honoured to commemorate the life of a local World War One hero, Captain Francis Grenfell. We hope that people will join us at the ceremony on 24 August to mark the sacrifice he made, along with many others in WWI.”
Captain Francis Grenfell was the first officer to be awarded a Victoria Cross in the First World War; awarded for his bravery while helping to cover the withdrawal from Mons, the British Army’s opening battle of WWI. Francis had joined the army straight from Eton, before being commissioned into the infantry. He served in the South African war, before transferring to the 9th (Queen’s Royal) Lancers.
On 24 August 1914, at Audregnies, Belgium, Captain Grenfell rode with the regiment in a charge against a large body of unbroken German infantry. The casualties were very heavy and the captain was left as the senior officer. He was rallying part of the regiment behind a railway embankment when he was twice hit and severely wounded.
In spite of his injuries, however, when asked for help in saving the guns, by Major Ernest Alexander of the 119th Battery, Royal Field Artillery, he and some volunteers, under a hail of bullets, helped to manhandle and push the guns out of range of enemy fire.
Francis was twice wounded and brought back home to recover, but each time he returned to the Western Front to further help the war effort. However, he was finally killed in action at Hooge in the Ypres Salient on 24 May 1915; he was 34 years old.
His regiment carried his body five miles out of the lines to bury him in Vlamertinghe churchyard – today a site of reflection and tranquillity. Francis left his VC medals to his regiment. He said he owed his decoration entirely to them.
King George V wrote to his guardian and uncle: “The Queen and I are grieved beyond words that your gallant nephew has fallen in battle. I was proud to give him his nobly earned Victoria Cross and trusted that he might live to wear it for many years. Our heartfelt sympathy.”
Equally heartfelt were the words of a fellow officer: “I can’t tell you what his loss means to the regiment which had the honour of numbering Francis amongst its officers.”
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