Hero soldier inspired war graves charity

The photograph, taken on June 17, 1917, depicts Black Country-born Thomas Bryan as he receives the coveted Victoria Cross in front of a crowd of 40,000 at St James Park, Newcastle.

In doing so he joined an elite group of heroes. To this day only 1,354 men have received the VC in its 158 year history.

Born in Bott Lane, Lye, Stourbridge on January 21, 1882, Bryan was a Lance Corporal in the 25th (S) Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers.

He was awarded the medal for his actions at Vimy Ridge, near Arras, France, on April 9, 1917, the first day of the Arras offensive.

L/Cpl Bryan's citation was read out to thunderous applause during the investiture – reveals the selfless bravery he showed when faced with a seemingly impossible task.

"For most conspicuous bravery during an attack.

"Although wounded, this Non-commissioned Officer went forward alone, with a view to silencing a machine gun which was inflicting much damage.

"He worked up most skilfully along a communication trench, approached the gun from behind, disabled it and killed two of the team as they were abandoning the gun. The results obtained by Lance Corporal Bryan's gallant action were very far-reaching."

With the deadly machine gun out of the picture, British troops were able to make a significant advance that was to prove crucial to the allies' war effort.

Shortly after receiving his VC L/Cpl Bryan was admitted to Alnwick Hospital, Northumberland, due to serious injuries he sustained in battle, one of which was a bullet wound to his right arm he incurred during his heroics at Vimy Ridge.

After the war he returned to Castleford, where he had moved with his family as a youngster, and took up his pre-war job as a pit worker.

He died in Doncaster on October 13, 1945, aged 63, but his legacy has lived on from beyond the grave.

L/Cpl Bryan can be considered the impetus for the formation of the Victoria Cross Trust, the charity responsible for the current wave of grave restorations being undertaken around the UK.

Trust founder Gary Stapleton said the idea for the charity came after he visited L/Cpl Bryan's burial site in Arksey Cemetery in Doncaster two years ago. "My son was just about to leave for his second tour of Afghanistan and we had been discussing the Victoria Cross," he explained.

"I found out that L/Cpl Bryan, who was a true hero, was buried close to where I live and I decided to go and visit his grave," he said.

"But when I got there I was shocked by what I saw. The grave looked like no one had tended to it in years. It was a complete mess. There was even a footpath across the top of his grave with tyre tread marks going through it."

After contacting the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the local council Mr Stapleton found out no one was responsible for the grave. "I couldn't stand to see the grave in such a state so I decided to pay for it to be restored myself," he added.

In 2013, with the burial site now a fitting tribute to L/Cpl Bryan's memory, a rededication ceremony was held at the cemetery, which was attended by troops from the Northumberland Fusiliers and local dignitaries. Mr Stapleton continued: "After that I started looking into other graves and I was absolutely gob smacked. It struck me as not right that these people gave everything for their country and yet their resting places weren't being looked after. So I decided to form the charity to try and do something about it."

And so the trust was born, a charity dedicated to funding work required to bring the graves of VC medal recipients back to their former glory.

Since then the charity has funded the restorations of around 25 graves – and the campaign is ongoing, with the Government recently announcing a £100,000 donation to assist the charity with its work.

It is fitting that 97 years after he received his VC for bravely helping his comrades' advance in battle, L/Cpl Bryan is still helping them now.