Edward Foster VC (4 January 1886 – 22 January 1946) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Foster was 31 years old, and a Corporal in the 13th Battalion, The East Surrey Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. Citation: On 24 April 1917 at Villers-Plouich, Nord, France, during an attack, the advance was held up in a portion of the village by two machine-guns which were entrenched and strongly covered by wire entanglements. Corporal Foster who was in charge of two Lewis guns succeeded in entering the trench and engaged the enemy guns. One of the Lewis guns was lost, but the corporal rushed forward, bombed the enemy and recovered the gun. Then, getting his two guns into action, he killed the enemy gun team and captured their guns. Foster was also awarded the Médaille Militaire by France. The attached account of his actions was written by James Price Lloyd of the Welsh Regiment, who served with Military Intelligence. After the war, the government to destroyed all the archives relating to this propaganda (section MI 7b (1)). They were regarded as being too sensitive to risk being made public. Remarkably these documents have survived in the personal records of Captain Lloyd. Many of these papers are officially stamped, and one can trace the development of many individual articles from the notes based on an idea, to the pencil draft which is then followed by the hand-written submission and the typescript. The archive Tales of the VC comprises 94 individual accounts of the heroism that earned the highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. These are recounted deferentially and economically, yet they still manage to move the reader. Date stamp: 26 March 1918. || Article with annotations.

Private Frederick Edwards, 12th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, was awarded the V.C. for bravery on 26th September 1916 at Thiepval during the Battle of the Somme. His regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) commenced another attack against powerful German defences. Part of this advance was held up by machine gun fire during which time all the officers became casualties and, as happens on most like occasions because of such loss of leadership, confusion reigned and retirement, the usual course of action, would probably have occurred. However, Private Edwards, grasping the situation and on his own initiative dashed out towards the machine gun which he knocked out with his hand grenades. This very brave act, coupled with great presence of mind and total disregard of personal danger made further advance possible and cleared up a dangerous situation. It is possible that, as an Irishman, his service in the British Army, like many others was not viewed with favour by the new Republic and consequently he seems to have settled in London. However, later in life he was forced to sell his medal to make ends meet. This account of his actions was written by James Price Lloyd of the Welsh Regiment, who served with Military Intelligence. After the war, the government to destroyed all the archives relating to this propaganda (section MI 7b (1)). They were regarded as being too sensitive to risk being made public. Remarkably these documents have survived in the personal records of Captain Lloyd. Many of these papers are officially stamped, and one can trace the development of many individual articles from the notes based on an idea, to the pencil draft which is then followed by the hand-written submission and the typescript. The archive Tales of the VC comprises 94 individual accounts of the heroism that earned the highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. These are recounted deferentially and economically, yet they still manage to move the reader. Date stamp: 8 June 1918. || Article with annotations.

Apprentice steam engine maker, George Stanley Peachment volunteered for the army in April 1915 and became a Rifleman (Private) in the 2nd Battalion, The King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC). It should be noted that this brave young volunteer signed with a false date of birth as he died aged 18, British Army Regulations stated that to serve overseas a man must be 19 years or over. Manpower shortages at this period of the war meant that training was perfunctory in practice and very short in time, illustrated by the fact that the 18 year old Rifleman Peachment was in action on the first day of the Battle of Loos on 25 September 1915, some short 20 weeks later. He was with the 2nd KRRC south of the Vermelles to Hulluch road when, during very heavy fighting, the British front line was nearly overwhelmed by the German forces and forced to retire, in the military spin of the time 'in order to reorganise' - when infact their Division's attack had been stopped by uncut barbed wire and gassed by their own side, then expelled from ground earlier won at great cost by German counter attacks. During this 'retirement' Private Peachment saw his company commander, Captain G.R. Dubs lying wounded, and bravely, seemingly without thought of his own safety crawled to help him. The enemy fire was intense and, although there was a shell-hole quite close in which a few men had taken cover, Private Peachment apparently, by his actions, did not place his own safety above that of a man to whom he must have felt great loyalty. He knelt in the open by this officer and tried to help him, but while doing so was first wounded in the chest by a grenade ('bomb'). This did not end his selfless acts as he now, amazingly, began to drag Dubs to a place of safety. However, sadly, in a very short time George Peachement was then mortally wounded by small arms (rifle or M.G.) fire. He was posthumously awarded the V.C. for bravery but his body was never recovered and his name has been carved into the 'Memorial to the Missing' at 'Dud Corner' CWGC Cemetery, Loos. The attached account of his actions was written by James Price Lloyd of the Welsh Regiment, who served with Military Intelligence. After the war, the government to destroyed all the archives relating to this propaganda (section MI 7b (1)). They were regarded as being too sensitive to risk being made public. Remarkably these documents have survived in the personal records of Captain Lloyd. Many of these papers are officially stamped, and one can trace the development of many individual articles from the notes based on an idea, to the pencil draft which is then followed by the hand-written submission and the typescript. The archive Tales of the VC comprises 94 individual accounts of the heroism that earned the highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. These are recounted deferentially and economically, yet they still manage to move the reader. Date stamp: 13 March 1918. || Article with annotations.