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Throughout April, 17 brave British soldiers will be remembered in special ceremonies, one hundred years to the day they were awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) – the nation’s highest military honour.

From Glasgow to Wandsworth in London, communities will come together to pay their own special tributes with a commemorative paving stone laid in honour of their hometown heroes.

British soldiers did not fight alone. They were joined by men from all corners of the Commonwealth who fought alongside their British comrades. A further 8 VCs were awarded to soldiers from Australia and Canada who fought alongside soldiers from Newfoundland, New Zealand, and South Africa.

During the battle which ran from 9 April 1917 to 16 May 1917 in the trenches of Northern France, some 158,000 British, Commonwealth and Allied soldiers lost their lives.

Lord Bourne, Minister for Integration and Faith, said:

As we continue to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, we should remember the exceptional sacrifices made by those from across both the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. They lost their lives in the fight for liberty.

Each recipient of the Victoria Cross displayed an incredible level of bravery into the face of unimaginable danger. Often they risked their own life to save the lives of their comrades. They remain an inspiration to this day.

I hope that the laying of these commemorative paving stones across the country will ensure these remarkable stories are remembered. I would encourage people in communities across the country to find out more about their local heroes.

Those overseas-born soldiers awarded the Victoria Cross, including at the Battle of Arras, are honoured with a permanent memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which was unveiled in 2015.

As part of the government’s First World War Centenary Programme, the Department for Communities and Local Government launched the campaign to remember and honour all those awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War with a commemorative paving stone.

The design of the stones was selected from a public competition and includes the name of the soldier and regiment, along with the marking of the Victoria Cross. They are made of Scoutmoor Yorkstone, a hard-wearing British stone that is quarried near Ramsbottom and are sited in locations visible to the public to inspire viewers to ‘pause and remember’.

Further information

Wandsworth paving stones

In Wandsworth, south London, commemorative paving stones will be laid on 22 April 2017 for three locally born recipients of the VC. Two of those, Edward Foster and Reginald Haine, were both awarded for their brave actions during the second phase of the Battle of Arras.

Edward Foster had been employed as a local dustman before the outset of the First World War when he volunteered to join his local regiment, the East Surrey Regiment. Now a Corporal, after a short period of training, he found himself at the front during the Battle of the Somme and again at Arras. During an attack to capture the village of Villiers-Plouich, he engaged two enemy machine guns, even after losing one of his own and succeeding in capturing the enemies’ weapons.

Reginald Haine, at the age of 20, vulnerable to opposition fire led an attack on an enemy stronghold in the village of Gavrelle on 28 April 1917. Along with a comrade from the 1st Battalion, Honourable Artillery Company, using bombs launched by hand, they repelled a trench full of the enemy, captured the town for the British forces, disabled two machine gun posts and captured 50 prisoners. Despite the risk of their position being completely surrounded by the enemy, Haine held his position for the night.

Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Haine went on to receive the Military Cross for action in India in 1919, served in the Home Guard in WW2 and returned to civilian life as an accountant after his military career.

The third being honoured in Wandsworth is Captain Arthur Lascelles VC. He was born locally in Streatham and served with the Durham Light Infantry. He was awarded the VC for bravery in December 1917 at Masnieres in northern France.

British-Canadian VC awards

Two soldiers due to be remembered in Britain this April – William Milne and John Pattison – although born in Britain, emigrated to Canada, enlisted and then fought with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Both took part in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, itself a part of the larger Arras offensive.

Private William Milne aged just 24, crawled across the sleet-covered ground on the front line close to the enemy to throw hand grenades at two enemy machine gun posts ensuring a safer advance. His actions saved lives of many of his colleagues but sadly William Milne died in action shortly afterwards.

Lieutenant Colonel Simon Rushen, chief of staff of the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff will attend the memorial for William Milne in Cambusnethan Old & Morningside Parish Church, in North Lanarkshire, on Friday 7 April 2017.

Private John Pattison also displayed extreme bravery on the battlefield. He crawled across no-man’s land, using craters for shelter from heavy machine-gun fire to approach enemy machine gun posts. From a covered position, he threw grenades at close quarters disarming the enemy and saving the lives of his comrades. Although aware he was recommended for the VC, he died two months later in battle so did not receive his VC in person.

John Pattison will be honoured with a memorial service in General Gordon Square in Woolwich, South London on 10 April 2017.

Two Canadian-born soldiers were also awarded the VC for their bravery in the battle. Lieutenant Colonel Thain Macdowell, single-handedly captured 77 enemy soldiers after finding them hidden in an underground fortress. Lance-Sergeant Ellis Sifton eliminated a particularly deadly machine gun post in hand to hand combat, but died in the struggle.

Ceremonies taking place throughout April for VCs awarded at Arras include:

Name	Ceremony
Major William Gosling VC	2 April 2017, 10.30am, Parish Church of St John the Baptist & St Helen, Wroughton, Wiltshire
Private William Milne VC	7 April 2017, 11am, Cambusnethan Old & Morningside Parish Church, North Lanarkshire
Lance Corporal Thomas Bryan VC	9 April 2017, 2pm, War memorial in Mary Stevens Park, Stourbridge, Worcestershire
Captain Harry Cator VC	9 April 2017, 3pm, St Margaret’s Church, Drayton, Norfolk
Private John Pattison VC	10 April 2017, 11am, General Gordon Square, Woolwich, London
Company Sergeant-Major Edward Brooks VC	10 April 2017, 10am, Aylesbury Vale District Council, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire
Lieutenant Donald MacKintosh VC	11 April 2017, 11.30am, Glasgow Academy, The Saunders Centre, Glasgow
Lance-Corporal Harold Mugford VC	11 April 2017, 11.30am, Bermondsey and Rotherhithe War Memorial, London
Lieutenant Charles Pope VC	21 April 2017, 12.30pm, Sidney Square, Whitechapel, London
Corporal Edward Foster VC	22 April 2017, 11am, Wandsworth Town Hall, Wandsworth, London
Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Haine VC	22 April 2017, 11am, Wandsworth Town Hall, Wandsworth, London
Captain Arthur Henderson VC	24 April 2017, 11am, Renfrewshire House, Paisely, Renfrewshire
Captain David Hirsch VC	27 April 2017, 11.30am, St Chad’s Church, Headingly, West Yorkshire
Private Horace Waller VC	29 April 2017, 11am, Dewsbury Town Hall, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Sergeant John Ormsby VC	29 April 2017, 11am, Dewsbury Town Hall, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Captain Alfred Pollard VC	29 April 2017, Wallington Library Gardens, Sutton, London
Sergeant James Welch VC	29 April 2017, 10.15am, New Street, Stratfield Saye, Hampshire

Ceremonies taking place in April for VC recipients from other campaigns

Name	Ceremony
Private Charles Melvin VC (Battle of Istabulat)	21 April 2017, 11am, Kirriemuir Town Square, Kirriemuir, Angus
Captain Arthur Lascelles VC (Battle of Cambrai)	22 April 2017, 11am, Wandsworth Town Hall, Wandsworth, London

Background information

A total of 25 Victoria Crosses were awarded to soldiers from Britain, Australia and Canada for their gallant actions at Arras.

There were 627 individuals who received the VC during the First World War, although in total 628 VCs were awarded. This is because one individual, Noel Chavasse, was awarded the VC twice during the First World War. Of these individuals, 361 were born in England, 70 were born in Scotland and 16 were born in Wales. Thirty-five were born in pre-partition Ireland and 145 were born in other countries overseas. The first stones were laid on the 23 August 2014, 100 years from the first actions during the Battle of Mons.

The design of the stones was selected from a public competition won by Charlie MacKeith from London. The selected design uses a circular shape, created to inspire viewers to ‘pause and remember’. The stones also use the material, form and lettering of the family memorials used by the War Graves Commission.

You can follow the laying of the commemorative stones on Twitter, #VCPavingStones.

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An SME has become the first agency to secure a major campaign through the Campaign Solutions framework.

23red has developed the Department of Communities and Local Government’s mayoral elections campaign.

Voters go to the polls on 4 May to elect combined authority mayors for six of England’s regions: Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, the West Midlands, the Tees Valley, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, and the West of England.

To support this, 23red were tasked with developing the creative for a digital, social, radio and out-of-home campaign tailored to each area to raise awareness and increase engagement in the elections.

How the framework works

Campaign Solutions is an innovative marketing and communications framework covering the services public bodies need for end-to-end campaigns.

It aims to shift public bodies from traditionally prescriptive campaign buying to a solutions-focussed approach, encouraging innovative approaches to campaigns.

The framework is complemented by Communication Services, designed for tactical requirements, helping public bodies tap into the very best expertise and talent in the communications industry.

23red was one of 27 agencies who successfully secured places on the Campaign Solutions framework, with over half of them SMEs. The company also secured a place on Communication Services.

Government aims to spend £1 out of every £3 through SMEs by 2020.

Find out more

To find out more about Campaign Solutions, visit the CCS pipeline pages

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Michael Lynton is the Chairman of Snap Inc and the CEO of Sony Entertainment, where he has overseen Sony’s global entertainment businesses, including Sony Music Entertainment, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Sony Pictures Entertainment. As Chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) he has managed the studio’s overall global operations, which include motion picture, television and digital content production and distribution, home entertainment acquisition and distribution, operation of studio facilities, and the development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. Prior to joining Sony Pictures, Michael worked for Time Warner and served as CEO of AOL Europe, President of AOL International and President of Time Warner International. From 1996 to 2000, he served as Chairman and CEO of Pearson plc’s Penguin Group, where he oversaw the acquisition of Putnam, Inc. and extended the Penguin brand to music and the Internet. Michael joined The Walt Disney Company in 1987 and started Disney Publishing, serving as its President. From 1992 to 1996, he served as President of Disney’s Hollywood Pictures. Michael is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of the American Film Institute, the Smithsonian Board of Regents, the Harvard Board of Overseers, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, J. Paul Getty Trust, USC School of Cinematic Arts and the RAND Corporation. In addition, he sits on the board of directors of Snapchat and Ares Management, L.P

The role is not remunerated and this appointment has been made in accordance with the OCPA Code of Practice. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Michael Lynton has declared no political activity.

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Sir John Kingman has been appointed by the Prime Minister as Trustee of the National Gallery, for four years until 2 April 2021.

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Archaeologists have uncovered Roman shoes and keys, a rare amber figurine and the most northerly example of coin production as part of Highways England’s £380 million Highways England Leeming to Barton scheme

These finds are shedding new light on Roman life in Northern England. They hint at a far more sophisticated industrial and administrative centre in Yorkshire than had previously been known about. They also point to wealthy citizens having lived in the area.

Neil Redfern, Principal Inspector of Ancient Monuments at Historic England said:

The sheer amount of exceptional objects found on this road scheme has been extraordinary. Through them we are learning more and more about life here in the Roman period. This project has given us a unique opportunity to understand how the Romans conducted their military expansion into Northern England and how civil life changed under their control.

We discovered these treasures as part of our work to upgrade the existing dual carriageway between Leeming and Barton with a new 3 lane motorway. The upgrade is part of the government’s £15 billion investment in motorways and strategic A roads.

Nearly 2,000 years ago the Romans used the very latest technological innovations to construct the original A1 as a major road of strategic importance – just as Highways England is doing today.

The extensive excavations have been carried out by Northern Archaeological Associates, on the advice of Historic England’s experts.

Top recent discoveries

Amber carving

The figure of a toga-clad actor carved from a block of amber was recently found at Scotch Corner. Thought to have been made in Italy during the 1st century AD, a similar example was also found at Pompeii. Nothing like this has ever before been found in the UK. Its presence at Scotch Corner, along with a large number of other high status imported items suggests this was an early site furnished with the finest Roman goods.

Coin Workshops

Workshops for making gold, silver and copper coins found near Scotch Corner represent the most northerly example of coin production ever found in Europe. They demonstrate that the Romans were carrying out significant industrial activity in this part of England and potentially producing coins of high value.

Roman shoes

A number of well-preserved Roman leather shoes have been found in Catterick, a town south of Scotch Corner known by the Romans as Cataractonium. Large sheets of leather have also been found in the town, perhaps used for producing clothes. This indicates that the town was an important leatherworking centre, possibly supporting the Roman military.

Roman keys

Many keys have been found at Catterick, from small keys on rings to larger ones for lifting latches. The amount found is unusual for a northern suburb, suggesting people who lived in the town were conscious of protecting their valuable possessions.

Silver ring

A silver ring shaped like a snake which wraps around the finger has also been found in Catterick. This is a rare find and, like the amber figure, it hints at the great wealth of the people who lived here.

Pen and inkpot

A pewter inkpot and a number of “styli”, or Roman pens, have also been discovered at Catterick. This tells us that the town was a key administrative centre. The sheer amount of pens found suggests that a significant proportion of the population were able to read and write.

Lead plumb bob

A lead plumb bob from Cataractonium gives us evidence for construction methods used within the town and was perhaps even used in the construction of Dere Street and other roman roads at the site. This gives us a fantastic insight into the engineering technologies of the time.

Earlier date for Romans in Northern England

The excavations have also led to the unearthing of a major Roman settlement at Scotch Corner which pre-dates settlements in York and Carlisle by 10 years. This tells us that the Romans had a major presence and even possibly began their territorial expansion into northern England a decade earlier than previously thought. The settlement was unusually large for the north of England, stretching over 1.4km from north to south which is roughly the size of 13 football pitches positioned end to end. The finds uncovered at the site, from brooches to gaming counters, suggest the people who lived here, as at Catterick, were wealthy.

The settlement seems to have only been occupied for a short period, perhaps no more than 20-30 years. It probably became redundant as the Romans kept moving into the north. It’s demise seems to coincide with the rise of Catterick, which we know was an administrative and economic centre in the north of England. The extensive archaeological finds discovered along the route – which will prove historically significant for future generations – will impact the scheme completion date.

Investigating and upgrading the A1

Works to upgrade the A1 through Yorkshire over the last 20 years have resulted in more than 60 miles of the road being investigated by archaeologists, from Ferrybridge near Leeds up to Piercebridge.

Since these excavations began in 2014, a team of around 60 archaeologists have discovered thousands of artefacts from a range of different periods, demonstrating that this area has been part of England’s story for thousands of years.

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