Memorial details

Memorial type
Board / Plaque / Tablet
District
Copeland
Town
Whitehaven
County
Cumbria
Country
England
Commemoration
VC or GC Recipients, First World War (1914-1918)
Ceremony
  • Unveiled
    Date: February 1916
    Attended by:
Lost
Not lost
WM Reference
66673

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Current location

Kept at the out-stores not the museum.
The Beacon Museum
West Strand
Whitehaven
Copeland
Cumbria
CA28 7LY
England

OS Grid Ref: NX 96954 18216
Denomination: Undefined

View location on Google Maps
Previous locations
  • Crosthwaite School
    Rosemary Lane
    Whitehaven
    Copeland
    Cumbria
    England

    OS Grid Ref: NX 970180
    Denomination: Undefined
Description
Brass plaque with a replica of the Victoria Cross, counter-sunk in bronze in tip, left corner. Below this are Private Acton's monogram and 'VC' entwined above the Border regimental badge in bronze. Commemoration to the right of this in red and black lettering. The whole has a single black line border.
Inscription
NAME/ BORN DEC 17TH 1892. FELL IN ACTION MAY 15TH 1915/ "LET US NOW PRAISE FAMOUS MEN, THEIR BODIES ARE BURIED/ IN PEACE, BUT THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE “ECCLUS 44”/ HE WAS A PUPIL IN THIS SCHOOL FROM MAY 10TH 1899 TO APRIL 1906/ HE WAS A UNIT OF THE 5TH BATTN BORDER REGIMENT BUT IN JANUARY 1914/ HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE 2ND BORDER REGIMENT/ THE VICTORIA CROSS WAS AWARDED HIM FOR GREAT GALLANTRY SHOWN/ IN RESCUING TWO WOUNDED COMRADES UNDER FIRE AT ROUGES BANCS/ A FEW MONTHS AFTERWARDS HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION/ “GRANT HIM LORD, ETERNAL REST AND LET LIGHT PERPETUAL SHINE UPON HIM”/ THIS MEMORIAL WAS ERECTED BY LIEUT-COL. J. ARTHUR JACKSON,/ THAT ALL SCHOLARS OF THE SCHOOL MIGHT REMEMBER THAT ONE/ OF THEIR NUMBER BY HIS COURAGE AND UNSELFISHNESS WON THE/ HIGHEST HONOUR A SOLDIER CAN RECEIVE FROM HIS KING/ CROSTHWAITE MEMORIAL SCHOOL
Inscription legible?
yes
Names on memorial
Acton, Abraham
See details
Commemorations
  • VC or GC Recipients
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, Forename & Date of Death and biographical information, Rank, Regiment, Honour
    Order of information: Undefined
  • First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 1
    Served and returned: 0
    Died: 1
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: Surname, Forename & Date of Death and biographical information, Rank, Regiment, Honour
    Order of information: Undefined
Listing information
Condition
Trust fund/Scholarship
No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A
Sponsorship
Private
Details: Provided by Lieutenant Colonel JA Jackson
Reference
  • Whitehaven News page 4, 30th August 1951
  • West Cumberland Times 11/12/1915 page 8c
  • Whitehaven News page 7e, 10th February 1916

This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.

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This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:

© WMR-66673

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