Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has begun a new monthly bravery series in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The theme of the series will be Lord Ashcroft’s “hero of the month” and it starts in the latest March edition of the magazine with a five-page write-up on James Magennis VC.
The Magennis VC, awarded at the end of the Second World War, was the first gallantry medal purchased by the Conservative peer when he started his collection in 1986. Today his unrivalled VC collection, which is on display at the Imperial War Museum, totals 179 decorations.
Lord Ashcroft is a military historian who had written four books on bravery over the past eight years. He has also lectured extensively on courage and his various medal collections.
Lord Ashcroft said: “I feel extremely proud to have been asked to write a monthly article for such a prestigious magazine. As someone with a lifelong interest in gallantry, I have long enjoyed reading Britain at War and now I am thrilled to be able to contribute towards the magazine.”
Martin Mace, the Editor of Britain at War, said he was delighted to have the new series in his magazine. “Over the coming months, Lord Ashcroft will examine many other individual acts of gallantry,’ he said.
All the write-ups for the magazine will be based on expanded excerpts from Lord Ashcroft’s four books on gallantry: Victoria Cross Heroes, Special Forces Heroes, George Cross Heroes and Heroes of the Skies.
Furthermore, the vast majority of the write-ups will be based on gallantry medals owned by Lord Ashcroft. As well as his VC collection, the Conservative peer has a major Special Forces’ medals’ collection and a substantial collection of decorations awarded for gallantry in the air. In 2010, Lord Ashcroft also started collecting George Crosses (GCs) for the first time and currently owns 11 awards.
