A PLAQUE honouring the bravery of a
Worksop war hero will be replaced after it was stolen last week.
The brass plaque, which honours Victoria
Cross medal-winner William Henry Johnson, was fixed to a stone in Worksop
Memorial Park.
Police believe the plaque, worth £10 in
scrap value, was taken between 4pm on 19th January and 9am on Friday 20th
January.
County councillor for Worksop East Glynn
Gilfoyle said he was more than happy to stump up the cash to replace the
plaque.
“Anyone who would stoop to the
depths of stealing something like that for me, I think, its as bad as grave
robbing,” he said.
“I would hope that they are caught
and get a strong sentence for it. It’s disgusting.”
“I cannot understand the mentality
of some people.”
Sgt Johnson was born in Worksop on 15th
October 1890.
A married man with three children, he
enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters and served mainly in France.
On 3rd October 1918 at Ramicourt in
France, he single-handedly charged a machine gun emplacement, capturing two
machine guns.
Despite being severely wounded during
the attack, he went on another solo run, silencing more enemy machine guns.
Worksop’s Royal British Legion
secretary Brian Madden said the theft was ‘despicable’.
“I do not know how they have the
cheek,” he said. “But it’s an unfortunate trend throughout
the whole country. The people who’ve done this are lower than the
low.”
“He was Worksop born and bred, who
later was awarded with a Victoria Cross. That in itself has got to be
remembered.”
Mr Madden added: “He is part of
Worksop’s heritage and it’s important not to forget that.”
Sgt Johnson is one of ten Sherwood
Foresters to be honoured in the Great War. He was presented with the Victoria
Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace on the 29th March 1919.
A year later he was awarded the French
Medaille Militaire and founded the Worksop branch of the RBL in 1922.
He died in Arnold in April 1945 and is
buried at Redhill cemetery.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
Sherwood Foresters Museum at Nottingham Castle. A duplicate is held at
Bassetlaw Council offices on Potter Street.
There is also a picture of him in the
new Worksop Library, on Memorial Avenue.
The cost of replacing the plaque is
expected to cost up to £70. Coun Gilfoyle said he would use some of the money
left in his EDI fund.
