Shropshire VC hero's grave to be revamped
The headstone of the grave of Shropshire's only Victoria Cross winner from the Great War to be buried in his native county is to be spruced up as part of a £100,000 cash pot.
The scheme has been announced by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and aims to restore all graves in need of repair, and clean or replace headstones.
Seventeen graves in the West Midlands are to benefit from the new funding, which will give a boost to funds already being raised by the Victoria Cross Trust, a charitable organisation that works to ensure the graves of every VC recipient are maintained.
And among those in line for restoration are the grave of Oswestry-born Harold Whitfield, who died on December 19, 1956 – ironically, after being knocked off his bicycle by an Army Land Rover – and is buried at Oswestry cemetery. Although several Shropshire men won the VC during the Great War, Mr Whitfield was the only member of the county regiment, the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, to receive the highest award for valour on March 10, 1918.
Also on the graves list released by the Department for Communities and Local Government is Lieutenant Thomas Wilkinson, who was born at Dudmaston, near Bridgnorth, and killed on The Somme serving in the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
