A NORTH-East war hero travelled to London last night to campaign for a memorial for Victoria and George Cross holders in Westminster Abbey.

Captain Richard Annand, one of only 16 surviving VC holders in the world, helped to launch the campaign for the £250,000 memorial, which is being spearheaded by the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.

Despite the well-profiled history of the two medals, there is no national memorial to the heroes who have been awarded the highest bravery awards in the country.

And although he is 88 years old, Capt Annand joined forces with other VC and GC holders at the Imperial War Museum last night to help launch a public fundraising effort to honour Britain's dead heroes.

Each year the award holders shrink - there are just 46 left - with the youngest living VC being 63 and the oldest 90.

A fund total of £250,000 is being sought to cover the costs of the memorial at Westminster, as well as providing a fund which will enable the restoration and renewal of many VC and GC graves not included in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission - a high proportion of the 1,750 recipients.

But the medal holders, and the association which represents them, is refusing to accept any Lottery money for their memorial, saying there are other more worthy causes.

Last night Didy Grahame, appeal director, said that she was "honoured" by Cpt Annand's commitment to the appeal.

She said: "It is typical of the determination of VC holders that Cpt Annand, who is now 88, is prepared to travel from Durham to London in order to promote the appeal which I know he will see as a tribute to all those other holders of the VC and GC.

"I know he would not be seeing it as a memorial to himself, but thinking of all the others."

Once enough funds are raised for the memorial, it will lie near to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at the West End of the abbey and will be unveiled next May.

Donations or requests for further information can be sent to: The VC and GC Memorial Appeal, Horse Guards, Whitehall, London SW1A 2AX.

Bravery with help of a barrow

Captain Richard Annand, 88, of Durham, of the Durham Light Infantry, was the first man to receive the Victoria Cross in the Second World War, for rescuing his injured batman from behind enemy lines using a wheelbarrow, during the retreat to Dunkirk.

Originally from South Shields, South Tyneside, he was serving by the River Dyle, near Brussels, on May 16, 1940.

His platoon took on a German force on a bridge the British had destroyed, but when ammunition ran out, he advanced over open ground, under heavy fire, and drove the enemy away with hand grenades. After having his wounds dressed, he resumed command and continued the attack. When his platoon withdrew he found his batman was missing so returned to the battle and brought him back in a wheelbarrow before losing consciousness as a result of his wounds.

Pitman chock full of courage

Sergeant William McNally, of Murton, near Seaham, County Durham, who died in 1976, was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918 after leading operations on October 27, 1918, across the Piave.

When his company came under attack from heavy machine-gun fire, he rushed the machine-gun post single-handedly, killing the team and capturing the gun, utterly regardless of personal safety. Later, at Vazzola, Italy, he crept behind enemy lines alone and captured another machine gun which was firing at the company.

Sgt McNally, of The Green Howards, was awarded his first military medal during the Battle of the Somme while just a private. Before and after his time as a soldier, the father-of-six worked at Murton Colliery, starting as a pit pony boy aged 14 and working until 1959 as a timber yard foreman at the colliery.