Westmeath Victoria Cross recipient featured in new book

An English battlefield historian has contributed an article on Westmeath-born World War I hero Maurice Dease to a book of stories compiled as a fundraiser for military charities.

The book, On Courage, is a collection of 28 moving and inspirational stories of valour displayed by recipients of the Victoria Cross (VC) and George Cross (GC).

Each story is introduced by a public figure from Bear Grylls, Frank Bruno, Joanna Lumley and Sir Bobby Charlton, to John Simpson, Dame Kelly Holmes and the late Sir Ken Dodd.

These incredible accounts have been written by established historians and authors: Tom Bromley, Saul David, James Holland and Dr Spencer Jones, as well as by Paul Garlington, who is the author of the chapter on Victoria Cross recipient Dease.

The book was launched on May 16 at the National Army Museum in London, where Johnson Beharry VC, Kate Adie, and Baroness Hale and several recipients of the Victoria and George Crosses were also in attendance.

Mr Garlington said of his time at the book launch event: “This was a remarkable experience - to be involved with the Sebastopol Project, which keeps memories of great deeds alive and supports wonderful charities like Combat Stress.”

Mr Garlington is a senior master and teacher of History at St Mary’s Hall and Stonyhurst College. In On Courage, he wrote about Dease, the first VC recipient in World War I who was originally from Coole, Co. Westmeath, and also a former pupil at Stonyhurst College. 

“Maurice was a true hero in every sense of the word. He was a normal chap who was thrown into an extraordinary circumstance and then showed exceptional courage,” Mr Garlington said. 

“He was only 24 years old, and a lieutenant in the 4th Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on August 23, 1914, at Mons, Belgium.” 

Garlington promises that Dease’s hero status will come across strongly in the book, and says it was “humbling and an honour to remember such a courageous young man in whose footsteps I tread every day and out on the battlefield when I am on tour”.

The author also owns and operates Paul Garlington Battlefield Tours, where he has been taking corporate groups, private tours, Catholic pilgrimages and schools to the battlefields of the Western Front for over 20 years.

Proceeds from the sales will be donated to two charities to support current and former members of the British Armed Forces and their dependants. Some £2.70 from each book will go to the fight against combat stress, the UK’s leading charity for veterans’ mental health, and £0.30 will go to the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association, which represents all living holders of the VC and GC.

Copies of the book can be purchased through local and online Waterstones book stores (bit.ly/OnCourageWaterstones) or through the online retailer Amazon (bit.ly/OnCourageAmazon).