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A
Barrow war hero whose grave has
stood for years is set to get the
recognition he deserves, thanks to
the efforts of the Royal British
Legion.
When the local branch of the legion
discovered there was no headstone
for the grave of Private Samuel
Wassall VC at Barrow Cemetary it
approached his former regiment which
came up with an offer of £200
towards the cost of the memorial.
And now the Barrow Council has
agreed to cover upkeep costs of the
grave by offering to waive the
authority's normal charge of over
£300 for 25 years maintenance.
Pte. Wassall earned one of the
11VC's for his conduct against the
Zulus.
He won his VC in January 1879 for
saving the life of a drowning
comrade under enemy fire at Buffalo
River after the Isandhlwana
massacre.
In Africa he served with the 80th
Regiment of Foot, later the South
Staffordshire Regiment, and lived
with his wife Rebecca and large
family in Melbourne Street, Barrow,
and later in Lyon Street.
Army records show he died in January
1927 and Mr Peter Loebell, secretary
of the services section of the local
British Legion branch, says Pte
Wassall's grave is registered in the
legion's name. |
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Presumably the soldier's family were
not well off, so the legion covered
the costs of the burial. Mr Loebell
says he thinks Pte Wassall's wife
was later buried in the grave.
"And as far as we can make out this
is the only holder of a VC buried in
Barrow and as such we would like to
look after it."
"We plan a black polished marble
headstone with white lettering and
the VC Cross, marked 'For Valour,' -
the normal memorial used to mark the
graves of VC holders."
Mr Loebell also hopes relatives of
Pte Wassall will attend a short
service at the graveside to dedicate
the memorial when it is readt.
"I believe there are still some
relations, possibly grandchildren,
living in Barrow," he said.
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