Call to ‘remember’ Tamworth soldier

Wigginton can be proud of its Victoria Cross hero…

I received a call recently from a constituent keen to highlight the extraordinary history of a man who was born in the area I represent very nearly 200 years ago.

Painting by Louis William Desanges

The initial call was intriguing and so I met with Bob Bird, who lives in Wigginton, to learn more about his thoughts of why this man should be recognised in some way in the village of his birth. And what a story it is… very worthy, in my view, of recognition.

It’s fair to say that the number of military heroes is growing on a daily basis with the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq but Samuel Parkes VC, who was born in Wigginton village in 1813, not only earned his decoration at the infamous ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ in 1854 but was the second British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross. And, even better, he recieved it from Queen Victoria herself. Bob’s interest in Private Samual Parkes is just that. He isn’t a relative and has no family connection but was taken aback by the stories and reports he read about the way the soldier saved the life of the Regiment’s trumpeter and proceeded then to carry on his back to safety the Regiment’s 2IC.

It really is a tremendous story and whilst in 2004 the campaign to achieve some local recognition in the form of a plaque in St Editha’s Church in Tamworth was one won, I do support Bob’s view that the people of Wigginton should have their famous ’son’ and war hero recognised in their village. Bob is now starting a fundraising effort to erect a small commemoration in the village of his birth. I’ll be supporting that in any way I can and will start by asking if the parish council would support local efforts too.

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