Private Frederick Dancox VC memorial to be unveiled

The 10th Anniversary Freedom March by the Mercian Regiment on Saturday 21 October will also commemorate the centenary of the award of the Victoria Cross to Pte Frederick Dancox of the Worcestershire Regiment.

At approximately 11.30am, a plaque in memory of Pte Dancox will be unveiled at the end of the parade at Dancox House Army Reserve Centre.

Pte Dancox was serving with the 4th Battalion the Worcestershire Regiment during the Passchendaele offensive in 1917. On 7 October the battalion led the attack at Poelcappelle and were able to seize their first objective, only to find themselves then pinned down by machine gun fire from an enemy bunker.

Before trench mortars could be brought into action, the firing stopped and a group of some 40 Germans approached with their hands up, followed by Pte Dancox carrying their machine gun. He had become detached from his patrol and had somehow worked his way round behind the blockhouse while dodging enemy machine gun fire and British artillery and captured the occupants.

His award of the VC was gazetted in November but he never received it as he was killed on 30 November 1917.

Adrian Gregson, Worcestershire World War One Hundred Project Project Manager said: “It is a privilege to join with our colleagues from the Mercian Regiment and City Council to honour Pte Frederick Dancox and be part of the Commemorative Stone unveiling. It is fitting that we mark the centenary of Dancox being awarded the Victoria Cross for ‘most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in attack’ with this lasting memorial at Dancox House.

“Fred Dancox was an ordinary man who did extraordinary things like so many of those who played their part during the Great War. We invite people across Worcestershire to find out more about these extraordinary deeds through the events and activities taking place as part of the Worcestershire World War One Hundred project as well as encouraging them to share their families stories for our People's Collection.”