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Victoria Cross

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The Victoria Cross and Gravesham's Heroes

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, presented to members of the British and Commonwealth forces. Since its creation by Queen Victoria in 1856, it has recognised acts of extraordinary bravery and self-sacrifice.

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Gravesham has the distinction of being home to several recipients of this rare and prestigious honour.

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The first was Second Lieutenant Thomas Riversdale Colyer-Fergusson, aged just 21 and serving as an Acting Captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Northamptonshire Regiment, when he was awarded the VC for his actions during the First World War. His family were long associated with Wombwell Hall in Northfleet, where they had an ancestral home.

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During the Second World War, Squadron Leader Robert Anthony Maurice Palmer, born in Gillingham, moved with his family to Bellman Avenue in Gravesend as a boy. He became the town’s first VC recipient of that conflict for his exceptional courage during a daylight bombing raid deep into enemy territory.

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He was followed by Lance-Corporal Henry Eric Harden of the Royal Army Medical Corps, who lived in Northfleet. Harden was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in attempting to rescue wounded comrades under fire during the Battle of the Reichswald in 1945.

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This section is dedicated to the memory of these remarkable individuals, whose courage brought honour not only to themselves but also to the people and communities of Gravesham.

Commemoration

Today, all three of Gravesham’s VC recipients — Colyer-Fergusson, Palmer, and Harden — are permanently honoured at Gravesend Civic Centre, each represented with a portrait painting, their VC citation, and an entry in the Book of Remembrance.

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Second Lieutenant (acting Captain) Thomas Riversdale Colyer-Fergusson VC

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Squadron Leader Robert Antony Maurice Palmer VC, DFC and Bar

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Lance Corporal Henry Eric Harden VC

Further Commemorations

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Further recognition for their gallant acts of courage are spread across the Borough of Gravesham

 

Colyer-Fergusson VC

 

  • Northfleet War Memorial – The Hill, Northfleet

  • St Botolph’s War Memorial Roll – The Hill, Northfleet

  • Plaque at Northfleet School for Girls – Hall Road

  • Plaque at Northfleet Technology College – Colyer Road (This has gone missing since the new school building was built)

  • Perry Street War Memorial – All Saints, Northfleet

  • Plaque inside All Saints Church – Perry Street, Northfleet

  • Streets named after him – Colyer Road and Riversdale, Northfleet

  • Ifield War Memorial – St Margaret’s, Ifield, Kent

  • Plaque at Huggins Cottages, Wrotham Road, Gravesend – commemorating the land donated by his father for the housing project

  • Gravesend Town Hall War Memorial – The Old Town Hall, High Street, Gravesend

  • Gravesend War Memorial – Clarence Place, Gravesend

  • St George’s War Memorial – St George’s Church, Gravesend

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Palmer VC DFC*

 

  • Gravesend Grammar School War Memorial – Gravesend

  • Painting and Citation Display – Gravesend Grammar School

  • Lych Gate Memorial – St Peter & St Paul Church, Milton-next-Gravesend

  • Plaque – Bellman Avenue, Gravesend – his family home

  • Street named after him – Palmer Avenue, Gravesend

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Harden VC

 

  • Plaque – All Saints Church, Perry Street, Northfleet

  • Street named after him – Harden Road, Northfleet

  • Northfleet Division of St John Ambulance – Headquarters building, Hall Road, Northfleet (this building has now been closed and the signage removed)

  • Plaque at 44 Factory Road, Northfleet – his birthplace

  • Plaque at 195 Colyer Road, Northfleet – his family home

  • Commemorated on Family Grave – Northfleet Cemetery, Springhead Road

 

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