Henry Weale

Henry “Harry” Weale was born into a working-class family in Shotton, where he left school to work at the John Summers Steelworks. Like many young Welshmen of his generation, he was eager to enlist and reportedly attempted to join the Army while underage before eventually being accepted into the Royal Welch Fusiliers.

By August 1918 he was serving as a Lance-Corporal with the 14th Battalion during the final Allied offensives that would ultimately end the First World War. His extraordinary initiative at Bazentin-le-Grand earned him the Victoria Cross.

King George V personally presented him with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on 1 March 1919.

Following the war, Weale continued to serve in the Territorial Army, eventually attaining the rank of Sergeant. During the Second World War he again served at home, qualifying for the Defence Medal and War Medal.

He died in 1959 at the age of 61 and was buried in Rhyl Cemetery. His memory continues to be honoured in Wales through the Henry Weale VC Hall in Queensferry and a memorial garden in his hometown of Shotton. His Victoria Cross is preserved at the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum in Caernarfon Castle.