Three ex-Framlingham College pupils are holders of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry. We were delighted to recently loan two of these medals to the Imperial War Museum where they will join the third in a Framlingham Display Case. The bravery of these men has been a source of great inspiration to Framlinghamians for many years and shortly after the presentation our Year 10 cadets visited the Somme to see for themselves the scene of this terrible conflict.The Victoria Cross awarded to Lieutenant G M Flowerdew (Royal Canadian Cavalry, 1918) and to Lance Corporal W H Hewitt (South African Infantry, 1917) were presented by Mrs Randall (pictured left) to Admiral Sir Jock Slater, Chairman of Trustees of the Imperial War Museum at a moving ceremony in April.

The medals were proudly marched into the ceremony by the College's Guard of Honour and will be displayed on loan alongside the Victoria Cross awarded to another former College pupil, Lieutenant A W S Agar (Royal Navy, 1919).

With the medal presentation fresh in their minds the Year 10 cadets visited the Somme area to learn more about the First World War. They visited Moreuil Wood, the scene of Flowerdew's action and visited the Thiepval Memorial which records the names of 72,000 soldiers lost in the Somme area.

Gordon Flowerdew was posthumously awarded his Victoria Cross for his conspicuous bravery and great valour at the Battle of Moreuil Wood, near Amiens in March 1918. William Hewitt was awarded his Victoria Cross for action at Ypres in November 1917 and despite his injuries survived the war, living to the age of 82. His widow presented his medal to the College in 1967 saying that if the award gave inspiration to any of the boys of present and future generations, her husband would have felt amply rewarded. Relatives of both men, including William Hewitt's daughter Mrs Colvin (right with Mr Richard Overend (OF) and Mr Norman Porter (President of the Old Framlinghamians) attended the ceremony.

Sam Tetlow: “I felt that the tour around the battlefields of the Somme and the monuments left from the Great War was a thought provoking experience despite the long coach journey from Framlingham. I gained an insight into what it was like facing the fear of the enemy each day and the type of men it took to rise above ordinary requirements putting aside pain and fear in order to reach their goal. I was full of admiration to all who gave their lives in this terrible conflict and proud to know that I am heir to a legacy left by the millions that gave their lives for a greater future.”