Whicham WW1 and Tom Mayson VC

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Reference WMO/170302

Address:

St Mary's Church

Whicham

LA18 5LS

England

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Status: On original site
Type: Non freestanding
Location: Internal
Setting: Attached to a building/structure
Description: Board/Plaque/ Tablet
Materials:
  • Stone Marble
Lettering: Incised
Conflicts:
  • First World War (1914-1918)
About the memorial: Marble Tablet at the west end of the north wall. The Church is on a minor road off the north side of A595, 400 yards east of the junction with the A5093 and is the Church for Silecroft. Whicham also had its own VC Winner- Tom Mayson. He survived the war. His VC citation and replica medal are also in the church [not a memorial in it's own right, by definition]- photographs are attached. The citation (published in the London Gazette on 14 September 1917) reads: Your most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when with the leading wave of the attack, his platoon was held up by machine gun fire from a flank. Without waiting for orders, Lance Sergeant Mayson at once made for the gun, which he put out of action with bombs, wounding four of the team. The remaining three of the team fled, pursued by Lance Sergeant Mayson to a dugout into which he followed them, and disposed of them with his bayonet. Later when clearing up a strongpoint, this non-commissioned officer again tackled a machine gun single handed, killing six of the team. Finally during an enemy counter attack he took charge of an isolated post, and successfully held it till ordered to withdraw as his ammunition was exhausted. He displayed throughout the most remarkable valour and initiative. Originally this was the real Victoria Cross and the original Citation. However those were stolen in 1991, so the V.C. is a replica, and the Citation is a copy, when the Church added biographical data. The display case was new in around 1992 when the replacement display was installed. On Armistice Day each year, the wreath mounted on the wall beside the display case is removed and placed on his grave outside (which is not, definitionally, a war memorial), and a new wreath placed on the wall. The medal winning action occurred on 31st July 1917, at Wieltje in Belgium. He was born in December 1892 or on 3rd November 1893 (records vary), he also received the Coronation Medal in 1953 to mark 40 years service with the colours. He died on 12th February 1958 aged 64. The Church is on a minor road off the north side of the A595 400 yards east of it's junction with the A5093 IWM for WW1 - 66863. For Mayson 79678
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SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN/OF WHICHAM WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN/THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918/[names]

TOM BROADBENT/TOM CADDY/TOM FISHER/CHARLES GILFRED LEWTHWAITE M.C./WILLIAM LOWERY/ WILLIAM NORMAN/CHARLES PAGE/JOHN WILSON/

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