Written by Andrew Sims, Project Archivist.
As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the peace agreement on 27th July 1953 that ended the Korean War it felt appropriate to convey a story from within the archives.
Men from the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry did not fight as a battalion unit during the Korean War but many from the DCLI did fight as reinforcement drafts for other battalions of the Light Infantry. Philip Curtis was the last soldier from the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He was awarded this medal posthumously whilst attached to 1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment for an act of bravery on 23rd April 1951 during the Battle of Imjin.
The archive recalls the background to the acquisition of the VC for Bodmin Keep, Cornwall’s Army Museum, in addition to containing details of Philip Curtis and his service, describes the way his medal touched so many people in 1975. There is a whole folder containing appeal correspondence and it makes fascinating and very touching reading. The folder is also unusual in that the majority of the material within it originally would have been records generated in the day-to-day business of the museum and now form part of the archival history of the DCLI.
The first document of interest is contemporary with news of the award of the VC consisting of eight pages from a large notebook with glued newspaper cuttings, letters, and Post Office Telegrams between 2nd-6th December 1953. Perhaps the most poignant page is a newspaper cutting from The Western Morning News, 2nd December 1953. Whilst the article is ostensibly about the act of bravery and the award of the medal, it particularly highlights the effect the wars of the 20th Century had on three generations of one family.
The next document, also another newspaper cutting from The Western Morning News, dated 11th January 1975, highlights the angst of the daughter of Philip Curtis, who had decided to auction the VC. The reasons given are practical, uplifting, and sad; there is no need to elaborate.
Much of the remainder of the folder recounts the rushed struggle to raise funds for the auction, the auction, the failed bid by representatives of the Museum, and the eventual offer from the winning bidder Mr John Hayward, ‘to donate £1,000 to the regiment by dropping the price I paid to £6,200 on condition that somebody else comes forward to give £1,000 to the regiment who would thus get the V.C. for £5,200.’ The remainder of the folder includes correspondence from television companies, newspaper cuttings, inter-regimental correspondence, bank statements, a list of 129 contributors, and letters from donors who have been touched by the story and sent their contributions to the museum appeal. Here is the text of one.
I am an O.A.P. now, aged 86. I read in the Guardian about the V.C. medal and I wish to enclose a donation. I served with The Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry during the 1914-18 war in the Salonica campaign also, I was in Russia.
The story seems to encapsulate so much, the reality of living through the 20th Century, the consequences of war and poverty, but also the spirit and generosity of the community, as well as pride. When working within an archive, they really do provide a window into the past.