A PLAQUE dedicated to the only Barnsley man to receive the Victoria Cross is to be unveiled on Monday.
Rifleman Albert Shepherd received the medal for the gallantry he showed saving the lives of fellow soldiers during the Battle of Cambrai in France in November 1917. He was just 20-years-old.
A special ceremony led by Barnsley Mayor Coun Jeff Ennis and the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire will be held at 2.30pm on Monday in front of the war memorial at Barnsley Town Hall, when the Victoria Cross paving stone will be unveiled, marking the centenary of Mr Shepherd’s heroic actions.
Mr Shepherd’s great-great-granddaughter has been given the honour of unveiling the special stone. Other members of his family will also be present along with representatives and standard bearers from his old regiment - including serving soldiers.
The service will include the reading of Mr Shepherd’s citation, his biography and military history, and a short silence of remembrance.
The Royston-born war hero Mr Shepherd was a private with the 12th Service Battalion, King’s Royal Rifle Corps, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving the lives of his company.
His Victoria Cross citation reads: “On November 20 1917 at Villers Plouich, France, when his company was held up by a machine-gun at point-blank range, Private Shepherd volunteered to rush the gun and although ordered not to, rushed forward and threw a Mills bomb killing two gunners and capturing the gun.
“The company, continuing its advance, came under heavy enfilade machine-gun fire and when the last officer and NCO had become casualties, Private Shepherd took command of the company, ordered the men to lie down and went back some 70 yards to get the help of a tank.
“He then returned to his company and led them to their last objective.”
Mr Shepherd received the award from King George V in February 1918 at Buckingham Palace.
Following the war, Mr Shepherd returned home to Royston where he went back to work in the pit. He remained in Royston until his death on October 23, 1966.
