I was never informed of the IWM's plans to close the gallery bearing my name
It is ironic that when the news broke that the Imperial War Museum had announced that it was closing the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, I was travelling around Ukraine interviewing soldiers about their courage in their brutal three year war with their Russian neighbour.
It is my eleventh visit to the war-torn country including several visits to the frontline. Championing bravery has played a major part in my life for the past 40 years. Sadly, the closure of the gallery on June 1 marks the end, for now at least, of arguably my greatest achievement in this area.
Since 1986 I have – patiently and sensitively – devoted significant resources and time to building up a collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs), by some way the largest in the world, so that these stories of incredible gallantry could be enjoyed by visitors to London. For the past 15 years these decorations have been on public display in a free exhibition.
It was with a heavy heart that I broke off my interviews with some of the bravest men on the planet to read the statement from the IWM, about which they had not even had the courtesy to inform me. The Chairman of the trustees, Sir Guy Weston, never spoke to me about it. Should I not have been the first to know?
HRH The Duke of Kent, President of the Museum, and High Commissioners from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka plus two senior military figures are amongst the serving trustees. They were presumably involved in the decision. Did none of them ask whether I had been informed?
The Lord Ashcroft Gallery was opened by HRH The Princess Royal in 2010 and has displayed my collection of some 230 VCs and George Crosses (GCs), along with a number of VCs and GCs either owned by or loaned to the IWM. I not only agreed to loan my collection but I also paid more than £5 million to create a spacious gallery for the medals and associated memorabilia. Now, my sincere hope is that those who have not visited the gallery so far will do so over the next three months before it is too late. I would love nothing better than the gallery to go out on a 'high' in terms of visitor numbers.
I have had a passion for the concept of bravery since I was a small boy and was told by my father, Eric, about his experiences as a young officer taking part in the D-Day landings of June 6 1944. My father was wounded during the landings on Sword Beach but fought on until ordered from the battlefield for treatment. My fascination with valour transformed itself over time into an interest in gallantry medals which are a tangible memento of service and courage.
God willing, I will be 80 early next year, and I had hoped that my VC and GC collection would remain on public display at the IWM for the rest of my days. Especially so as I had enjoyed my years as a trustee of the IWM. I had already made arrangements to leave the collection to the IWM when it was time for me to meet my maker.
It is inevitable that the collection will go into storage because it is impossible, in the short term at least, to find a suitable 'home' for it. The medals seem destined to gather dust in secure vaults – away from the public eye.
However, my spirits have been lifted by the wave of support from all walks of life who believe that the IWM's decision is misguided. One Commonwealth minister even suggested their country might be amenable to housing the collection and putting it on public display.
The current loan agreement for my medal collection had been due to expire on September 30 2025 but I had anticipated, given the huge popularity of the gallery, that it would routinely be renewed. The IWM had other plans, plans which it kept to itself.
For several decades, I have been seen as a 'champion' of bravery, not only as a collector but as an author and lecturer. I carry out this work because I believe that those who risked, and sometimes gave, their lives in acts of bravery must never be forgotten. The closure of the gallery bearing my name may make the task of highlighting the deeds of the 'bravest of the brave' more challenging. But it is a challenge that I intend to meet, one way or another.
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