Blue Plaque for Harry Greenwood

Transcript

War hero honoured

By FRANCIS BATT

A MAN who began his life in a barracks and went on to win the Victoria Cross was remembered on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Harry Greenwood is one of only two men born in Windsor to receive the VC and a plaque was unveiled in his memory at Victoria Barracks in Sheet Street, where he was born in 1881.

There ceremony was performed by the mayor of Windsor and Maidenhead, Cllr Adrienne Sheldon, and Company Commander Right Flank First Battalion Scots Guards, Major Alastair Mathewson. A welcome guest was Colonel Pat Porteous VC, who won his honour at Dieppe and is one of only 31 surviving VC winners.

Also there were Didy Grahame, secretary of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association and Derek Hunt, the local historian who discovered that Greenwood was born at the barracks while researching for a magazine article. He is planning a Windsor Victoria Cross Exhibition in early 1998.

Lieutenant Colonel Greenwood won his VC an d after showing outstanding bravery at Ovillers, France, in October 1918. He was in charge of the 9th Battalion KOYLI, and when the advance was held up by enemy machine gun fire, he single-handedly rushed the position and killed the crew.

He later took out another German machine gun position repulsing an attack although his men were surrounded.

Photo: Windsor mayor Adrienne Sheldon with Major Alastair Mathewson, centre, and Col Pat Porteous, VC.

Images

Additional Photography

Source: Derek Hunt

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