Vandal attack on grave of Zulu war hero awarded VC
THE headstone of a Victoria Crosswinning Zulu-fighting hero has been destroyed by vandals.
The broken headstone of Colour Sergeant Anthony Clarke Booth, at St Michael’s Church, in the West Midlands borough of Dudley, will cost thousands of pounds to repair, according to the Victoria Cross Trust.
Gary Stapleton, chairman of the trust, said that the “next generation” did not realise the importance of war heroes’ graves because the memorials were not sufficiently well tended by society.
C/sgt Booth, born in Carrington, Nottingham, in 1846, was given the award for fending off 400 Zulu warriors with just a handful of men in South Africa, during the Anglo-zulu war in March 1879. Military history enthusiasts say they have been devastated by the vandalism and have launched a fundraising campaign to fund repairs to the headstone, which could cost “four figures”.
Mr Stapleton said: “Why should the youth of today listen to us?
“Why would they think these graves are anything special? We don’t care as a nation. Our generation doesn’t care about them.
“It’s a bit rich of us to say to youths, ‘these are men of historic importance’, you shouldn’t desecrate their graves,” he said.
“The nation as a whole needs to recognise these are men of historic, national importance.
“Their graves should be looked after, they should be preserved and regularly maintained. That way the next generation will realise it’s something special and we need to respect it.”
Mr Stapleton added that the vandalism was “quite rare” and the second time a VC hero had had his grave deliberately destroyed.
“We are putting a plan together for restoration but it needs to be approved by the diocese first.
“The headstone has been snapped off near the base and all the kerb sets have been dislodged.
“It’s not just the headstone, the kerb sets need repointing and fixing. It’s disgusting really that somebody could do this,” he said.
The Rev David Hoskin, the rector in Brierley Hill, said: “Brierley Hill is proud of having a Victoria Cross recipient among their number. This is sad.”
C/sgt Booth received the VC on June 26 1880 at Windsor Castle from Queen Victoria, for his bravery when a large group of Zulus launched an attack on the British on the Intombe river.
A 32-year-old sergeant at the time, he covered the retreat of 50 soldiers and others for three miles, and his actions saved the lives of all involved. He later achieved the rank of colour sergeant.
After retiring from the Army, he settled in Brierley Hill until his death on Dec 8 1899 at the age of 53.
Mike Wood, Conservative MP for Dudley South, said: “It’s disgusting that the grave of VC recipient Anthony Booth in Brierley Hill has been desecrated, but [I’m] pleased that the Victoria Cross Trust is planning repairs.”
A fundraising page has been set up by the Victoria Cross Trust, which has so far raised almost £300.
The Victoria Cross was introduced in the 1850s by Queen Victoria to reward heroes of the Crimean War. It has since been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individuals.
It is the highest award of the UK honours system, and is given out for acts of bravery and gallantry “in the face of the enemy”.
Last year, when four First World War graves were destroyed in County Durham, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said such incidents were “extremely rare”.
The Brierley Hill matter has not been reported to police.