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Freemasons were among the specially invited guests at the unveiling of a bronze sculpture commemorating the life and deeds of Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse and 15 other Liverpool men who have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

The West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity had made a £5,000 donation towards the cost of the sculpture by Tom Murphy which is in Abercromby Square not far from the Hope Street Masonic Hall.

The bronze sculpture commemorates the life and deeds of Capt Noel Godfrey Chavasse VC and Bar MC, RAMC, Medical Officer of the 10th Battalion (Liverpool Scottish) King’s Liverpool Regiment and the 15 other men who were born in Liverpool and who received the Victoria Cross. Their names appear around the base of the memorial.

Capt Chavasse, son of the second Bishop of Liverpool, was the only man to be awarded two Victoria Crosses during the First World War. He died on 4 August 1917 of wounds sustained in Flanders. More than 40 members of the Chavasse family travelled from far afield to attend the service and unveiling ceremony. Several of the other VC recipients named also made the supreme sacrifice.

The memorial, commissioned by the Noel Chavasse VC Memorial Association was erected with the support of many ordinary citizens of Merseyside and beyond who acknowledge the bravery of such men.

Included in the many donations to the association was a £5000 award from the West Lancashire Freemasons’ Charity. Attending the ceremony to represent West Lancashire Freemasons were the Rev Harry E Ross, the Chairman of the Liverpool Trafalgar Group, Mike Winterbottom and Leslie Moore representing the charity. In addition, several other Liverpool Freemasons had received invitations to attend the service as well as the many other brethren who had served in the Armed Forces and are members of the various regimental associations who were on parade.

The Lord Mayor of Liverpool along with other civic and military guests led a gathering of more than 1000 people. There were many family members of the various recipients of the VC in the dedication and unveiling ceremony which took the form of a military “Drumhead” Service conducted by WBro the Rev John Williams Chaplain to the Forces and the Very Reverend Paul Chavasse, a descendant of Noel Chavasse. The band of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and the Pipes of the Liverpool Scottish were in attendance”.