Alfred Robert Wilkinson VC (5 December 1896 – 18 October 1940), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. Wilkinson enlisted in the

Royal Scots Greys The Royal Scots Greys was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971, when they amalgamated with the 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales's Dragoon Guards) to form the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard ...

at the outbreak of war in 1914 and transferred the following year to the 2nd. Battalion,

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

. He finally transferred to the 1/5th Manchester Regiment and went to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in July 1916. He was 21 years old, and a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the 1/5th Battalion,

The Manchester Regiment The Manchester Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1958. The regiment was created during the 1881 Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 63rd (West Suffolk) Regiment of Foot and the 96th R ...

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

Battle of the Selle The Battle of the Selle (17–25 October 1918) was a battle between Allied forces and the German Army, fought during the Hundred Days Offensive of World War I. Prelude After the Second Battle of Cambrai, the Allies advanced almost and liberated ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 20 October 1918 at Marou,

, during the attack, four runners had been killed in attempting to deliver a message to the supporting company and Private Wilkinson volunteered for the duty. He succeeded in delivering the message although the journey involved exposure to extremely heavy machine-gun and shell fire for 600 yards. He showed magnificent courage and complete indifference to danger and throughout the remainder of the day continued to do splendid work. He later achieved the rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. Wilkinson was killed in a

mining accident A mining accident is an accident that occurs during the process of mining minerals or metals. Thousands of miners die from mining accidents each year, especially from underground coal mining, although accidents also occur in hard rock mining. C ...

Bickershaw Colliery Bickershaw Colliery was a coal mine, located at Pennington, in Leigh, then within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire, England. History Bickershaw is located in the Lancashire Coalfield, and required the sinking of deep shafts to acce ...

, Leigh where he died from

carbon monoxide poisoning Carbon monoxide poisoning typically occurs from breathing in carbon monoxide (CO) at excessive levels. Symptoms are often described as "flu-like" and commonly include headache, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. Large e ...

. His grave stone at Leigh Cemetery has the VC engraved on it. In 2018 it had a trail of poppies leading to it which had been made by local school children. A statue of Wilkinson has been erected (October 2018) on the green at Pennington Wharf, which is a housing estate at the old Bickershaw Colliery. The road around the green has also been named Wilkinson Park Drive. The road sign is gold in colour and has the VC printed on it. A mural featuring Wilkinson has been painted on a house on Twist Lane, Leigh, situated between Dorothy Grove and Arthur Street. File:SelleFighting-Marou.jpg, File:Wilkinson VC mural.jpg,

References

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Manchester)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilkinson, Alfred Robert 1896 births 1940 deaths People from Leigh, Greater Manchester British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Manchester Regiment officers British Army personnel of World War I Manchester Regiment soldiers Accidental deaths in England Industrial accident deaths Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning Royal Scots Greys soldiers Seaforth Highlanders soldiers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British coal miners Military personnel from Lancashire

See also

References

External links