Battles of the First World War Podcast · Mike Cunha

Remembering Victoria Cross Recipients with Ron Howard and Adam Pearce

·53 min·1 clip

One man has visited 350 Victoria Cross graves across 56 countries.

This episode features host Mike interviewing Ron Howard and his nephew Adam Pearce about their project to visit gravesites of Victoria Cross recipients from World War I. Ron is a lecturer and amateur historian, while Adam's sales career enables extensive global travel to pursue this passion. Both share a personal connection to the war through their hometown of Sheffield and the story of the Sheffield Pals battalion. The Sheffield Pals, a volunteer battalion from the city, were virtually wiped out in the first ten minutes of the Battle of the Somme. Ron explains that nearly every British family has a connection to World War I, citing a relative who died of Spanish flu post-war and another wounded in combat. Adam's interest was sparked by the film *Zulu* and its depiction of eleven Victoria Cross awards, leading him to research the medal. The Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for valor, was awarded 628 times during World War I, with nearly half of all VCs given in that conflict. Originally, the VC could not be awarded posthumously, a rule changed in 1907, and it was once given for non-combat bravery before 1881. Recent research suggests the bronze for modern medals comes from a Chinese gun captured in the Opium War, not a Russian cannon as commonly believed. Adam's project aims to visit all approximately 1,000 known graves or memorial sites for VC recipients, having already reached about 350 across 56 countries. He notes a decline in tourists visiting Western Front sites and the recent removal of Lord Ashcroft's VC collection from public display at the Imperial War Museum. A poignant memory for Adam was finding a note at the Thiepval Memorial from a centenarian to a father they never met. Visiting remote sites can be challenging, like a grave in South Africa accessible only by dirt tracks with wildlife nearby, or a missing headstone in Shanghai destroyed during Mao's Cultural Revolution. Ron highlights the immaculate upkeep by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, even at remote cemeteries like Litchfield Crater. Brigadier General Roland Bradford, a VC recipient, commanded 5,000 men at age 25, and his brother George also earned a VC, making them a rare pair of sibling recipients. The American Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery uniquely holds a Victoria Cross, reciprocating the Medal of Honor given to the British Unknown Soldier. Adam shares stories of notable recipients: medic Noel Chavasse, the only man to earn two VCs in World War I; Private Thomas Jones, who single-handedly captured 102 Germans; and Fred Greaves, from Adam's own village, creating a personal connection. The episode has a conversational and educational tone, blending personal anecdote with historical detail. It will deeply appeal to military history enthusiasts, especially those interested in World War I, medal history, and battlefield tourism. Listeners seeking purely strategic battle analysis or contemporary topics might find it less engaging.

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