Theodore William Henry Veale VC

Today, 29th. September 2016, our speaker was Rotarian Bob Thomas from the Rotary Club of Basildon and his subject was Theodore William Henry Veale VC. Theodore William Henry Veale VC (11 November 1892 – 6 November 1980) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Veale was 23 years old, and a private in the 8th (Service) Battalion, Devonshire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 20 July 1916 east of High Wood, France, Private Veale, hearing that a wounded officer (one Lt Eric Humphrey Savill) was lying in the open within 50 yards of the enemy, went out and dragged him into a shell hole and then took him water. As he could not carry the officer by himself, he fetched volunteers, one of whom was killed almost at once, and heavy fire necessitated leaving the wounded man in a shell hole until dusk when Private Veale went out again with volunteers. When an enemy patrol approached, he went back for a Lewis gun with which he covered the party while the officer was carried to safety. 

The above information is to be found in Wikipedia and states the bare facts of Theodore and how he came to receive his VC. but Theodore became more than just facts as Bob Thomas filled in the details of his family, brothers and his life in Devon beforeWW1 , post WW2 and the years leading up to his death in 1980. 

As a holder of the VC he was quite a celebrity and was a regular visitor to Buckingham Palace where he met most members of the Royal Family from George V right through to Elizabeth II. 

As Bob added more and more interesting layers to the story of Theodore and Eric Savill he asked us if we wondered why he should take such an interest in a relatively unknown recipient of this highest award for gallantry. It was then that he revealed that he was in fact a distant relative of Theodore as his mother was a first cousin. It all made sense and he displayed a modest sense of pride at the fact that he was related to such a brave man. Sadly by the time he began his research Theodore had already passed away so he never met him and as a further irony he discovered that they had only been living some 40 miles apart in that time when their lives overlapped. 

A very moving story illustrated with some photographs of Theodore and Savill and other picture of that sad time. 

Thank you Bob for sharing your story. 

George Larkey