Silence fell in Burton as respects were paid to the bravest of the brave.

The ceremony took place in the village where a commemorative paving stone was unveiled to honour the memory of a holder of the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honour.

It was held on the centenary of the death of Major William La Touche Congreve, brigade major of the 76th Infantry Brigade, who fell in the Somme on July 20, 1916, aged 25.

Major Congreve, who was born in Burton Hall, now Burton Manor, in 1891, received the honour posthumously, already holding the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Military Cross (MC).

He was also made a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur.

A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC
A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC

The event, at Gladstone Village Hall, was attended by Ben Stephenson, a descendent of Major Congreve, the deputy lord mayor of Chester Razia Daniels representing the chairman of the borough council Bob Rudd, Lt Col Nick Jenkins, Lt Col Andrew Trelawny and Bugle Major Mark Douglas, all of the Rifles Regiment, borough councillors Brian Crowe and Nigel Jones and by more than 50 members of the community.

Major Congreve is said to have enjoyed a gallant young life and a career, although short, of exceptional brilliance.

Educated at Eton and Sandhurst he went to France in September 1914 and was ‘always in the front line offering a priceless example to his men’.

Later he took two officers and 72 men prisoner ‘almost singlehandedly’, for which he received his DSO and was recommended for a VC.

The citation for the VC he received after taking a fatal shot read that, during the period July 6 to July 20, 1916, Major Congreve ‘constantly inspired those round him by numerous acts of gallantry’.

A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC
A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC

The commemorative paving stone is a national Government scheme which honours every Victoria Cross recipient of the First World War in order to provide recognition of their extraordinary bravery on the 100th anniversary of their actions.

The ceremony, led by Lt Col Trelawny included a reading of the Victoria Cross Citation by Lt Col Jenkins.

It concluded with Bugle Major Douglas of 6th Battalion, The Rifles sounding ‘Last Post’ after which there was a silence before ‘Reveille’ and finally the sounding of ‘No More Parades’.

Cllr Daniels described the momentous occasion as ‘a truly moving and memorable event and a huge honour for me to unveil the commemorative paving slab’.

She added: “The first paving stones were unveiled in August 2014, 100 years from the first actions during the Battle of the Mons that led to the award of the VC to three servicemen. The last stones will be laid in November 2018.

“We are here today to honour the actions of Major Congreve who fought along others to defend our liberty and freedom.”

A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC
A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC

After spending his early years in Burton, in 1903, at the age of 12, William re-located to Ireland with his family after the sale of the Burton estate to Henry Neville Gladstone.

Before the onset of the First World War he followed in the footsteps of his father, Walter Congreve and pursued a military career. At the beginning of the Great War William’s Rifles battalion was sent to France.

Cllr Daniels continued: “William’s most significant military actions took place in 1916 which led to the award of the VC.

“In July 1916 William’s brigade was involved in heavy fighting at Longueval, France. Major Congreve constantly inspired the soldiers around him with numerous acts of gallantry.

“He conducted battalions up to their positions and also went out with the medical officer to move the wounded to places of safety when the brigade headquarters were heavily shelled.

“Finally, returning to the front line in an attempt to determine the position they were in, Major Congreve was shot in the neck by a sniper and died instantly. He is buried in Corbie Communal Cemetery, France.

“Major Congreve was the first soldier in the Great War to receive the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and the Military Cross.

A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC
A commemorative paving stone was laid in Burton, Neston on the 100th anniversary of the death of Major William Congreve who was born in the village and received the VC for conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy. Pic supplied by CWaC

“He was awarded the Victoria Cross after his death following recommendation from his brigadier ‘for his many acts of conspicuous gallantry’ and, in the words of Lt James Price Lloyd, for ‘inspiring those around him with his coolness that often saved others in an emergency’.”

She concluded: “The Victoria Cross is the highest award of the United Kingdom honours system. It is awarded for gallantry ‘in the face of the enemy’ to members of the British armed forces and during the First World War 628 VCs were awarded.

“This memorial stone will provide a lasting legacy to Major Congreve in the very village he was born in, for local people to see and pay their respects.

“It is a reminder of those who fought to defend our liberty and freedom, to help build the foundations for modern Britain, and that their legacy is our legacy.”

Major Congreve and his father, Gen Sir Walter Norris Congreve VC, KCB, MVO, DL are said to be one of only three father/son recipients of the honour.

Sir Walter received the Victoria Cross in 1900 for his actions during the Second Boer War.