Footprints of London guide Jen Pedler was honoured to be invited to attend the unveiling of the latest City of Westminster VC memorial paving stone this week and relates the remarkable story behind it below.

Find out more about these paving stones and other First World War memorials on Jen’s walk ‘Lest We Forget: How We Remembered’, commemorating the centenary of the Armistice, coming up this autumn, details of the walk and how to book here.

Captain Ferdinand (Freddie) West was one of 12 people born in the City of Westminster to be awarded a VC (Victoria Cross) for his courageous actions during World War 1.

The VC is the highest award of the British honours system awarded for gallantry “in the presence of the enemy” to members of the British armed forces. As part of the commemoration of the centenary of World War 1, those who were awarded this honour during that war have been remembered by paving stones laid in their town of birth on the centenary of the action for which they received the award.

Freddie West’s is the eleventh of Westminster’s paving stones, situated in the Ministry of Defence Gardens, Victoria Embankment, and was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of the City of Westminster, Councillor Lindsey Hall, this week (26th July 2018).

Freddie West was born in Prince’s Square, Paddington, in 1896. At the start of the war, in 1914, he initially enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps but transferred to No. 8 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps (RFC), in 1917 and trained as a pilot. This squadron became part of the RAF when the RFC and Royal Naval Air Service were combined to form the Royal Air Force on the 1st of April 1918.

West’s VC was awarded for action over France on 10th August 1918 making it one of the first VCs gained for service in the RAF. His VC citation reads:

Captain West, while engaging hostile troops at a low altitude far over the enemy lines, was attacked by seven aircraft. Early in the engagement one of his legs was partially severed by an explosive bullet, and fell powerless into the controls, rendering the machine for the time unmanageable. Lifting his disabled leg, he regained control of the machine, and, although wounded in the other leg, he, with surpassing bravery and devotion to duty, manoeuvred his machine so skilfully that his observer was enabled to get several good bursts into the enemy machines, which drove them away. Captain West then, with rare courage, and determination, desperately wounded as he was, brought his machine over our lines and landed safely. Exhausted by his exertions, he fainted, but on regaining consciousness insisted on writing his report.

His left leg was so severly damaged that it had to be amputated but he was subsequently equipped with an artificial limb and able to resume active service in the RAF. He was promoted to Air Commodore in 1940 and served as an Air Attaché in Switzerland during World War 2 where he assisted many escaped RAF air crew, who had made their way to Switzerland, to return to Britain.  He was awarded a CBE in recognition of his service during this war. He died in Windsor in 1988, aged 92.

The unveiling of the paving stone was a moving occasion with West’s VC citation read by the current commanding officer of RAF 8 Squadron, Wing Commander Jeremy Batt. After the Lord Mayor unveiled the stone it was blessed by Rev. Wing Commander David Osborn, Chaplain of St Clement Danes, the RAF church in the Strand. This was followed by a bugler playing the Last Post.

The final Westminster VC paving stone, commemorating Field Marshal John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker, will be unveiled on the 4th of October.