True British Hero: Trooper Finney received the George Cross from Queen Elizabeth II for his Iraq service (Image: File)
Defence Secretary John Healey will be urged to intervene in the war medals row that could see gallantry gongs shipped to Australia.
The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, home 230 Victoria Crosses and a smaller number of George Crosses from his personal collection, is to close at the Imperial War Museum in London from June 1.
It means valour medals belonging to Britain’s greatest battlefield heroes will no longer be displayed in public as the nation gears up to pay unprecedented tribute to our Armed Forces in marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Businessman and philanthropist Lord Ashcroft, 79, has been approached with offers to take on the collection which, as revealed by the Express, could see them go to Australia, New Zealand or Canada – the only countries whose highest award for most conspicuous bravery are named in honour of the British (Imperial) Victoria Cross.
Only 1,364 VCs have been handed out since 1856 and just 418 GCs since 1940.
Families of heroes who have received the medals will now lobby Mr Healey to urgently intervene and do all he can to keep them in the UK before they leave for good.
The Express was told he will be made aware in “no uncertain terms” how relatives of some of our most distinguished war heroes feel “disrespected by officialdom” at what would be a “significant loss of a hugely important national collection from public display”.
They will tell him that with instability reverberating throughout Europe the priceless collection should serve as a “tangible reminder to the nation of the value of telling stories of the utmost bravery”.
Call to arms: Mr Healey has been urged to intervene in the gallantry medals row (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Lord Ashcroft learned of the decision by the IWM to close the gallery, which has sparked anger and outrage, while he was in speaking to hero soldiers on the frontline in their fight for freedom against the ongoing Russian invasion.
The IWM said its own, smaller, collection of VC and GC medals would be “displayed across our UK branches [and] integrated within galleries that tell the full story of the conflicts in which of these acts of bravery occurred”. But it will not feature the full display, painstakingly curated by prolific private collector Lord Ashcroft.
The IWM trustees govern the popular museum in London.
King Charles appoints the President of the IWM Board of Trustees, currently the Duke of Kent, while other positions are sanctioned by the Prime Minister, Mr Healey, as Secretary of State for Defence, and other government officials.
Christopher Finney, 40, formerly of the Household Cavalry, the youngest ever GC recipient, was awarded his from the late Queen Elizabeth II after he was wounded rescuing comrades from US friendly fire in Iraq in 2003.
Mr Finney, Chairman of the VC and GC Association, which represents descendants of those who have been awarded medals for acts of extreme bravery in the face of the enemy, said: “It would be a terrible shame if Lord Ashcroft’s incredible collection of Victoria Crosses and George Crosses were to be taken out of this country, meaning current and future generations miss out on the opportunity to view medals awarded to men and women who have displayed the most extraordinary courage over the years.
“I sincerely hope a resolution can be found that will enable these medals to be displayed in this country for many years to come.”
Lord Ashcroft has amassed the world’s largest collection of battlefield medals for public display (Image: JULIAN SIMMONDS)
The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, named in his honour, was opened in 2010 after the entrepreneur and philanthropist made a £5 million donation. For 15 years it has proudly housed his personal collection of medals. He owns 240 VC’s and 41 GC’s but not all are on display as there is not enough space.
His intention was to gift the medals to the nation but after the IWM announced it was closing the wing, Lord Ashcroft ripped up a clause in his will leaving the collection to the public. He has since been inundated with offers of venues in which to display the stunning haul.
He said: “It is true that I have had generous offers from other nations that have expressed an interest in displaying my VC and GC collection abroad. However, it would be wrong of me to identify these countries while discussions on this are ongoing.”
A source close to the row said: “Understandably, Lord Ashcroft has been approached by interested parties all saying, ‘please, bring the collection here’. Although it would be an enormous shame, publicly displaying them, despite not being in the UK, is far more preferable than this extraordinary living history being kept under lock and key in a dark vault and out of sight. That was never the intention.”
The gallery closes just five days before the 81st anniversary of D-Day on June 6 when Lieutenant Eric Ashcroft, Lord Ashcroft’s war hero father, landed on Sword Beach in Normandy, in Nazi-occupied France, with The South Lancashire Regiment in 1944.
The Ministry of Defence was contacted.