Lancaster village vicar among Victoria Cross heroes recognised in new book
A new book telling the stories of 10 men to be awarded Britain’s highest award for gallantry includes a vicar from a village near Lancaster.
Publishing in October, ‘Valour - The Victoria Cross & The Lincolnshire Regiment’ tells the stories of 10 Victoria Cross recipients from the Lincolnshire Regiment, whose courage secured them a lasting place in regimental and national history.
The book includes Rev Theodore Hardy VC, DSO, MC, the village vicar at Hutton Roof, who became the most decorated non-combatant of World War One.
Spanning nearly a century of conflict, from the Indian Mutiny of 1857 to the final battles of the Second World War, this book brings to life acts of courage, sacrifice and leadership that shaped the regiment’s proud history.
With a foreword by Lord Ashcroft, the custodian of the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses, the book has been carefully researched and vividly written by author and historian Matt Limb. It pays tribute to ordinary men who, under unimaginable pressure, chose duty, selflessness and bravery.
Mr Hardy served as vicar of Hutton Roof before volunteering as an Army chaplain during the First World War.
Known to the Lincolnshire men simply as “Our Old Padre,” his fearless devotion to the wounded in no man’s land won him the admiration of every soldier he served.
For his extraordinary courage he received the Military Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and finally the Victoria Cross, making him the most decorated non-combatant of the war.
He remains one of Cumbria’s most remarkable wartime figures.
Author Matt Limb said: “Each of these ten stories reveals courage in its rawest form. They are not tales of superheroes, but of real men who chose duty, selflessness and bravery above themselves. The book offers a rare insight into the men behind the medal. As a veteran and historian, I felt compelled to bring these stories together into one volume.”
The book will be launched and published on October 1 and available at www.TheGreatBritishBookshop.co.uk priced at £15.99.
Pre-publication copies are available late-September via www.mlbft.co.uk/books
Matt Limb is a veteran with many years of Army service, a photographer, writer, military historian, plus battlefield tour guide.
He is the founder and host of the podcast Veterans Voices UK.