Article with annotations. || On 25 January 1915 the 29 year old Thomas Whitham enlisted at Burnley, Lancashire into the British Army becoming a Private in the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards. He embarked for France on the 26 October 1915 and joined the 1st Battalion, Coldstream Guards who had been serving in France and Flanders since their arrival on the 13 August 1914. The battalion that Private Whittam joined would have borne no resemblance to the original unit which had by now, suffered unimaginable casualties. Two years later, on the 31 July 1917 at Pilckem near Passchendaele, the opening day of the Battle of Pilckem Ridge (31st July - 2nd August 1917) the 1st Coldsteam Guards formed part of the 2nd Brigade of the Guards Division. At 3.50 a.m. - zero hour, the brigade attacked the German forces at the so called 'Blue Line'. Initially the advance met little resistance,arriving at this position after only 15 minutes of fighting. At 5 a.m. the Brigade continued its advance to its second objective, the 'Black Line', which it captured by 6 a.m. The third objective, the 'Green Line', was attacked at 7.15 a.m.; but now came under heavy machine gun fire from the blockhouses/positions on the old Ypres - Staden railway line, which also began to affect the advance of the 38th Division on their right flank. A particular enemy machine gun was seen to be, by enfilade, holding up a considerable part of the attack and causing many casualties. Private Whitham, on his own initiative, immediately worked his way towards this position, from shell-hole to shell-hole, and through a British artillery barrage, until he reached the machine gun and although under very heavy fire captured it together with an officer and two other ranks. This very brave action was of great assistance to the battalion and undoubtedly saved many lives. After the war he became a bricklayer, but times were hard, and he was rejected for other jobs by the Burnley Council even though he had served his King and Country and had won the VC. Consequently Thomas was forced to sell not only the medal but also a gold watch that had been presented by the same council (that now refused to employ him)in recognition of his bravery. Subsequently, both ended up in a pawn shop, but were retrieved by the same Authority. They now remain on display in the Towneley Hall Art Gallery & Museums in Burnley. Shamefully, Thomas died in poverty aged only 36 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: 31 May 1918.

Harold Jackson VC (31 May 1892 – 24 August 1918) 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. He was 25 years old, and a sergeant in the 7th (Service) Battalion, The East Yorkshire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when he performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. During the First World War, his act of bravery on 22 March 1918 at Hermies, France earned him the Victoria Cross. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Sjt. Jackson volunteered and went out through the hostile barrage and brought back valuable information regarding the enemy's movements. Later, when the enemy had established themselves in our line, this N.C.O. rushed at them, and single-handed, bombed them out into the open. Shortly afterwards, again single-handed, he stalked an enemy machine-gun, threw Mills bombs at the detachment, and put the gun out of action. On a subsequent occasion when all his officers had become casualties, this very gallant N.C.O. led his company in the attack, and, when ordered to retire, he withdrew the company successfully under heavy fire. He then went out repeatedly under heavy fire and carried in wounded. —The London Gazette, 7 May 19181 He was killed in action, Flers, France, on 24 August 1918. 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: 23 and 30 October 1918. || Article with annotations.

Article with annotations. || Thomas Leslie Jack Axford VC, MM (18 June 1894 – 11 October 1983), was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Axford enlisted in the Citizen Military Forces military forces in 1912. He served in the 84th Infantry Regiment until July 1915, when he joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). Axford was assigned to the 11th Reinforcements of the 16th Battalion on 9 August 1915, which left Australia on HMAT Benalla that November. Axford was wounded in August 1916 and again in August 1917, the second time so badly that he did not rejoin his battalion until January 1918. In February 1918, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. On 24 May 1918, Axford was awarded the Military Medal. On 4 July 1918, during an Australian and American attack on a front between Villezs - Bretonneux and the village of Vaire, east of Corbie on the south bank of the Somme, 4 July 1918,the events took place for which Axford was awarded the VC. Citation: On 4 July 1918 during the attack at Vaire and Hamel Woods, France, when the advance of the adjoining platoon was being delayed in uncut wire and machine-gun fire, and his company commander had become a casualty, Lance-Corporal Axford charged and threw bombs amongst the enemy gun crews. He then jumped into the trench, and charging with his bayonet, killed 10 of the enemy and took six prisoners. He threw the machine-guns over the parapet and the delayed platoon was able to advance. He then rejoined his own platoon and fought with it during the remainder of the operations. In addition to the VC, Axford was also that month promoted to Corporal. Axford returned to Western Australia in October 1918, and was discharged on 2 February 1919. The attached account of This mad Australian... 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: 10 October 1918.