Alfred Robert Wilkinson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alfred Robert Wilkinson
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 5 December 1896 Leigh, Lancashire |
| Died | 18 October 1940 (aged 43) Bickershaw Colliery, Leigh |
| Buried |
Leigh Borough Cemetery
|
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 British Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | Royal Scots Greys Seaforth Highlanders Manchester Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
| Other work | Coal miner |
Alfred Robert Wilkinson was an English soldier. He received the Victoria Cross, which is the highest award for bravery in the British military. This special medal is given for amazing courage when facing the enemy.
Wilkinson joined the Royal Scots Greys when World War I started in 1914. The next year, he moved to the 2nd Battalion of the Seaforth Highlanders. Later, he joined the 1/5th Manchester Regiment and went to France in July 1916.
Contents
A Brave Act: The Victoria Cross
Alfred Wilkinson was 21 years old during the Battle of the Selle in the First World War. He was a private in the 1/5th Battalion, The Manchester Regiment. This is when he performed the brave act that earned him the Victoria Cross.
On October 20, 1918, in a place called Marou, France, his unit was under attack. Four messengers had already been killed trying to deliver an important message to another company. Private Wilkinson bravely volunteered to take the message himself.
He successfully delivered the message, even though he had to cross 600 yards (about 550 meters) under very heavy machine-gun and shell fire. He showed incredible courage and didn't seem to care about the danger. He continued to do excellent work for the rest of that day.
Life After the War
After the war, Alfred Wilkinson was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Sadly, he died in a mining accident on October 18, 1940. He was working at Bickershaw Colliery in Leigh. He passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning, which is caused by a dangerous gas.
Remembering a Hero
Alfred Wilkinson's grave stone in Leigh Cemetery has the Victoria Cross engraved on it. In 2018, local school children made a trail of poppies leading to his grave to honor him.
A statue of Wilkinson was put up in October 2018. It stands on the green at Pennington Wharf, which is a housing area where the old Bickershaw Colliery used to be. The road around the green is now named Wilkinson Park Drive. The road sign is gold and has the Victoria Cross printed on it.
There is also a mural, which is a large painting, featuring Wilkinson. It is painted on a house on Twist Lane in Leigh, between Dorothy Grove and Arthur Street.
Images for kids
See also
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War: The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)
