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Victoria Cross memorial to First World War hero unveiled

Press release -

Victoria Cross memorial to First World War hero unveiled

A special memorial stone is to be unveiled to remember a local soldier who won a Victoria Cross during the First World War.

Rifleman George Peachment’s bravery will be honoured 100 years after he was killed, aged just 18, saving his commanding officer in the heat of battle.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm on Sunday 20 September at St Anne’s Church, Tottington, followed by a parade to Tottington Cenotaph where the stone will be dedicated.

This is a truly historic occasion, as the service will be attended by descendants of both Rifleman Peachment and of the man he saved, Captain Guy Rattray Dubs.

This is the first memorial stone of its kind to come to Bury, launched this year by the Government to mark acts of heroism in the Great War.

George Peachment was born in 1897 in Parkhills, Bury and his family later moved to Tottington. He attended Bury Technical College, which is now the Fusilier Museum.

He became Rifleman Peachment with the 2nd Battalion, The King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and was posted to France where he died near Hulloch on 25 September, 1915.

Accounts from the period say that, during heavy fighting, Rifleman Peachment saw Captain Dubs lying wounded. Instead of taking cover in a nearby shell hole, he knelt next to the officer and tried to help him, but was wounded by bomb shrapnel and then by a fatal bullet. He was one of the youngest men in his battalion.

Rifleman Peachment’s body was never identified, and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner Cemetery, close to where he was killed.

He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the country’s highest award for valour, which was presented to his mother Mary in 1916 by the King at Buckingham Palace.

Capt Dubs went on to be decorated for bravery himself, and was ultimately promoted to Major before retiring from the army in 1930.

Lieutenant Colonel Ian Sawers, Rifles County Colonel, added: “The Rifles, as successors to Rifleman Peachment’s regiment the King’s Royal Rifle Corps, are honoured to have been invited to take part in this VC memorial stone dedication service so that we may continue to commemorate the valiant deeds of our forebears.

“The courage shown by today’s Riflemen in conflicts around the world and demonstrated repeatedly in battle indicates that the same determination and valour which George Peachment showed 100 years ago is still an intrinsic element in the heart and mind of the modern, thinking Rifleman.”

The memorial stone will be installed and maintained by Bury Council, which decided that the cenotaph in Tottington would be a fitting place for its location.

Councillor Alan Quinn, the council’s Armed Forces spokesman, said: “Rifleman Peachment was a shining example of the sort of courage and self-sacrifice that soldiers from Bury and across the country displayed during the First World War and in subsequent conflicts.

“We are proud of him, and this memorial stone will help future generations of Bury people to remember his bravery.”

To read more about Rifleman Peachment, go to http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/In%20memory/miscellaneous/george_peachment.htm

ENDS

Press release issued: 10 September 2015.

Picture: Rifleman George Peachment.

Note to editors: Journalists are welcome to attend the memorial service and stone unveiling ceremony.

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Contacts

Peter Doherty

Peter Doherty

Press contact Press Officer Press Office

Committed to providing good quality services to our residents

Bury Council consists of six towns, Bury, Ramsbottom, Tottington, Radcliffe, Whitefield and Prestwich. Formed in April 1974 as a result of Local Government re-organisation it was one of the ten original districts that formed the County of Greater Manchester. The Borough has an area of 9,919 hectares (24,511 acres) and serves a population of 187,500.

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