A SCHOOLGIRL who unearthed a Victoria Cross winner in her family is to feature in a nationally screened documentary to commemorate the end of the Great War.
For the first time Richmond School and Sixth Form College student Grace Morris and her mum Rachel have visited the London memorial of her great-great-great-uncle, Edward Dwyer.
They were filmed by ITV in Fulham paying their respects to the Lance Corporal, of the 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment, one of the youngest to be ever awarded the country’s highest military honour.
As part of Grace’s history homework, the 13-year-old, of Hunton, which is between Richmond and Bedale, discovered that L-Cpl Dwyer had single-handedly fought off German infantry at the infamous Hill 60, in the battle of Ypres, by hurling countless hand-grenades to protect his trench.
Sustaining a head injury in the attack, he was nursed back to health in a front-line hospital by a Canadian nurse whom he later married.
His heroics led to him being used in a national recruitment campaign, a recording of his voice now the oldest remaining First World War audio record of its type.
L-Cpl Dwyer married his nurse Maude Barrett-Freeman in December 1915 but returned to France to fight again as he didn’t like his recruitment role. In September 1916 he was killed leading his men at the Battle of the Somme.
To commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War, ITV has commissioned a landmark one-hour documentary, due to be broadcast on Remembrance Sunday.
With exclusive access to the iconic poppy sculptures, Wave and Weeping Window by artist Paul Cummins and designer Tom Piper, the programme, produced by ITV Studios’ Shiver, will delve into the individual stories behind the poppies of sacrifice, bravery, loyalty and lives lost.
The very first installation saw 888,246 ceramic poppies planted at the Tower of London in 2014 – one for every British and Colonial life lost during the Great War.
These were subsequently sold to members of the public and have travelled as far afield as Australia, India, Africa and the USA. Others have been taken to war graves in France and Belgium in memory of fallen relatives.
With the help of 1418 NOW, the charity behind the poppies project, the programme will track down some of the poppy owners to hear the emotional and inspiring stories behind their symbol of remembrance and reflection.
Grace's family bought one of the ceramic poppies from the Tower of London installation to commemorate L-Cpl Dwyer.
Grace said: “It was an incredible experience for me and my mum. We hadn’t been to the memorials in Fulham before and it was good to see the plaque on the library and the commemorative stone on the ground in the park.
“ITV commissioned a replica VC, engraved with his details, for us to hold, which was lovely. The whole process of filming and being interviewed was fascinating for me, especially as journalism is something I am interested in as a career.”
The documentary is due to be screened on November 11.
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