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Hero's 'lost grave' to
get stone
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.
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.
Evening mail, Friday,
February 22, 1985
< Back to Samuel's Page >
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