Mission to restore war hero’s grave
HE survived the horrors of the First World War as a hero, only to die from carbon monoxide poisoning in a coal mine office.
Alfred Robert Wilkinson was awarded the Victoria Cross, the military’s highest and most prestigious honour, for bravery on the battlefield.
Now a campaign has been launched to restore his final resting place to its former glory and champion his story so his deeds aren’t forgotten for generations to come.
Funeral director Paul Sargent said Wilkinson’s grave has become jaded and weather-beaten and has launched a restoration appeal via the Go Fund Me website.
At the age of just 21, and having watched four comrades die attempting the same mission, Wilkinson, then a private, volunteered to run 600 yards through German machine gun fire across No Man’s Land in Marou, France, to deliver a vital message to another battalion.
He succeeded and his Victoria Cross citation reads: “He showed magnificent courage and complete indifference to danger, thinking only of the needs of his company and entirely disregarding any consideration for personal safety.”
An investiture ceremony was held by King George V at Buckingham Palace in February, 1919. Promoted to lieutenant, Wilkinson returned to his hometown of Leigh, Wigan, after the war and became a cotton spinner before he opened a sweet shop with his wife.
When the Second World War broke out in 1939 he went to work at Bickershaw Colliery, but suffered carbon monoxide poisoning there in a tragic accident and died aged just 43.
Investigations found a bird had flown into a pipe causing a blockage.
Wilkinson, who served with the 1/5th Battalion of the Manchester Regiment, was buried with full military honours in Leigh Cemetery. The black marble headstone references his Victoria Cross, although it’s a family grave.
Mr Sargent, 44, from Pennington in Leigh, hopes to raise £750.
He said: “Alfred Wilkinson was a real hero who fought for this country under the most hostile and frightening scenarios. His grave has become old, weather-beaten and in a state of disrepair. I want his story to be known and talked about. I’d like for us as a community and as a town to come together and remember Alfred, his sacrifice and his courage.
“We also want to create a small garden near the grave and an information board so people know his story.”
The appeal comes in the centenary year of the end of the First World War.
Two of Wilkinson’s brothers were killed in the war and his Victoria Cross is held within the private collection of Lord Michael Ashcroft.
To donate or support the appeal, visit / www.gofundme.com/alfred-robertwilkinson-vc.