By Lord Ashcroft
First published in the Daily Express on 24 March 2018.
WHEN the RAF was formed a century ago Edward “Mick” Mannock had already been terrorising German pilots in the skies for the best part of a year.
With his ruthless streak and hatred of the enemy, combined with his skill in the air and being a fine shot, he had built up a formidable reputation for his bravery. (more…)
By Lord Ashcroft
First published in the Daily Express on Wednesday, 20 December 2017.
WHEN James Adams’s mother ordered him to embark on a career in the Church, he described it as the bitterest blow of his life.
Strong, sporty and with a sense of adventure, he had hoped for a commission in the army but instead he found himself heading for Trinity College Dublin to study theology. (more…)
By lordashcroft.com
Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has had his latest “hero of the month” article published in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The December issue of the magazine has a two-page write-up on the life and bravery of Major Alexander Malins Lafone VC, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for outstanding bravery during the Great War. (more…)
By Lord Ashcroft
First published in the Daily Mail on 08 November 2017
Under a warm, late-afternoon sun, I gently placed my wreath at the base of Captain Arthur Henderson’s gravestone at the immaculately kept Cojeul British Cemetery in northern France.
As the proud custodian of Captain Henderson’s medal group, which I bought at auction for my collection of war medals, I had long wanted to pay my respects to this noble soldier. (more…)
By Lord Ashcroft
The so-called ‘Paradise Papers’
The BBC has suggested that I may have ignored rules in connection with the Punta Gorda Trust. (Please note the deliberate inclusion by Panorama of the word ‘may’.) In fact, I can state unequivocally that I have not ignored rules, and that I do not control the Punta Gorda Trust, and never have done. Throughout the Trust’s existence, I have never known the identity of any of the Trustees, let alone had any dealings with them. At no point has it been suggested directly to me, or through others, that I have taken any inappropriate action. No professional Trustee has ever resigned because of anything I may have done. (more…)
By lordashcroft.com
Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has had his latest “hero of the month” article published in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The November issue of the magazine has a two-page write-up on the life and bravery of Captain Montagu Shadworth Moore, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for outstanding bravery during the Great War. (more…)
By Lord Ashcroft
First published in the Daily Mail on 16 October 2017
Ask anyone what first comes to mind when they think of someone who has just left the Armed Forces and you will rightly hear some very positive things: leadership, discipline, comradeship, selflessness, loyalty, even heroism. (more…)
By lordashcroft.com
Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has had his latest “hero of the month” article published in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The October issue of the magazine has a two-page write-up on the life and bravery of Private William Boynton Butler, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for outstanding bravery during the Great War.
By Lord Ashcroft
First published in the Daily Express on 28 September 2017
A century ago, amidst the horrors of the muddy Flanders fields, Lt Col Philip Bent was preparing for his final stand near Polygon Wood, Belgium.
Two months into the Third Battle of Ypres (later better known as the Battle of Passchendaele), and having been forced back by a sustained enemy counter-attack, Bent rallied his men close to the town of Zonnebeke. (more…)
By Lord Ashcroft
First published in the Daily Mail on 21 September 2017.
His neat, hand-written letters are kept in a century-old wooden chest under a dressing table. Written using pen and paper obtained from his German prison guards, they provide a fascinating insight into a wartime romance between an heroic soldier who came back from the dead and his best friend’s sister.
Today Peggy Maher, the recipient of the letters and now a sprightly 94 years old, wipes away a tear as she recalls how the notes and post cards, all written more than 70 years ago, eventually led to a lifetime of happiness, once the British PoW who had penned them was finally released after nearly five years in captivity. (more…)