By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:40 EST, 5 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:38 EST, 6 November 2012 . War graves, such as this one belonging to Lieutenant Colonel  'H' Jones, are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . The graves of war heroes should be given special protection, a report said yesterday. Nearly 1,000 Victoria Cross winners are buried in UK churchyards and cemeteries, and many of their memorials are in poor repair. The sites should be registered and looked after, says a policy document from the Bow Group. The think-tank put the cost of the scheme at £1.2million a year. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after the graves of 386 VC winners who fell in action abroad, including that of Falklands heroes Lieutenant Colonel Herbert ‘H’ Jones and Sergeant Ian McKay as well as Corporal Bryan Budd who lost his life in Afghanistan. But relatives are responsible for the . upkeep of graves of VC winners who died in other conflicts or of old . age. Because family lines dwindle or people are unaware they exist or . cannot afford to maintain them, many burial plots have fallen into . neglect. ‘The UK affords no protection for those that did not fall in active service,’ said the Bow Group’s Richard Mabey. ‘With a lack of substantive funding, many VC graves may soon crumble.’ The plight of hundreds of military graves was highlighted by the Victoria Cross Trust. Gary Stapleton, a 45-year-old Doncaster businessman, started the group after discovering that Lance Corporal Thomas Bryan, who won a VC in the First World War, was buried in a neglected grave in a local cemetery. His research uncovered hundreds of other examples of graves falling into disrepair as well as 78 that were unmarked. Among those were Major General Clifford Coffin, who died aged 88 in 1959, and . won his medal for courage while fighting with the Royal Engineers at . Passchendaele, Belgium, in July 1917. His citation read: ‘Although under the heaviest fire from both . machine guns and rifle fire and in full view of the enemy, he showed an . utter disregard of personal danger, walking quietly from shell-hole to . shell-hole, giving advice and cheering his men by his presence.’ 386 VC winners killed in action, such as Bryan Budd, pictured, have their graves looked after by the CWGC, but the graves of many others who did not die in active service are not looked after . The headstone of VC winner Sergeant James Firth, who is buried in . Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield, is another that has become shabby. The inscription on the grave is almost unreadable, eroded through years of battering by the weather. Sargeant Firth, of the 1st Battalion The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment, was a hero in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Under heavy fire he carried two wounded comrades from the battlefield to safety, despite being shot through the nose and eye. He died aged 47 in 1921. The Victoria Cross Trust is in talks with Sheffield City Council to maintain the grave. The Bow report also urged ministers to scrap the 75-year limit after which local authorities can dig up the graves. The Victoria Cross is the highest award . for gallantry that a British and Commonwealth Serviceman can achieve. It . dates back to 1856 during the Crimean War. The graves of many soldiers who were awarded the VC for their actions in the First World War but were not killed in action have been left to crumble .
The graves of 386 Victoria Cross winners killed in action abroad are looked after by a Commonwealth commission .
But nearly 1,000 soldiers awarded the VC are buried in the UK and many of their graves have fallen into disrepair .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:40 EST, 5 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 06:38 EST, 6 November 2012 . War graves, such as this one belonging to Lieutenant Colonel  'H' Jones, are looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission . The graves of war heroes should be given special protection, a report said yesterday. Nearly 1,000 Victoria Cross winners are buried in UK churchyards and cemeteries, and many of their memorials are in poor repair. The sites should be registered and looked after, says a policy document from the Bow Group. The think-tank put the cost of the scheme at £1.2million a year. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission looks after the graves of 386 VC winners who fell in action abroad, including that of Falklands heroes Lieutenant Colonel Herbert ‘H’ Jones and Sergeant Ian McKay as well as Corporal Bryan Budd who lost his life in Afghanistan. But relatives are responsible for the . upkeep of graves of VC winners who died in other conflicts or of old . age. Because family lines dwindle or people are unaware they exist or . cannot afford to maintain them, many burial plots have fallen into . neglect. ‘The UK affords no protection for those that did not fall in active service,’ said the Bow Group’s Richard Mabey. ‘With a lack of substantive funding, many VC graves may soon crumble.’ The plight of hundreds of military graves was highlighted by the Victoria Cross Trust. Gary Stapleton, a 45-year-old Doncaster businessman, started the group after discovering that Lance Corporal Thomas Bryan, who won a VC in the First World War, was buried in a neglected grave in a local cemetery. His research uncovered hundreds of other examples of graves falling into disrepair as well as 78 that were unmarked. Among those were Major General Clifford Coffin, who died aged 88 in 1959, and . won his medal for courage while fighting with the Royal Engineers at . Passchendaele, Belgium, in July 1917. His citation read: ‘Although under the heaviest fire from both . machine guns and rifle fire and in full view of the enemy, he showed an . utter disregard of personal danger, walking quietly from shell-hole to . shell-hole, giving advice and cheering his men by his presence.’ 386 VC winners killed in action, such as Bryan Budd, pictured, have their graves looked after by the CWGC, but the graves of many others who did not die in active service are not looked after . The headstone of VC winner Sergeant James Firth, who is buried in . Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield, is another that has become shabby. The inscription on the grave is almost unreadable, eroded through years of battering by the weather. Sargeant Firth, of the 1st Battalion The Duke of Wellington’s (West Riding) Regiment, was a hero in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Under heavy fire he carried two wounded comrades from the battlefield to safety, despite being shot through the nose and eye. He died aged 47 in 1921. The Victoria Cross Trust is in talks with Sheffield City Council to maintain the grave. The Bow report also urged ministers to scrap the 75-year limit after which local authorities can dig up the graves. The Victoria Cross is the highest award . for gallantry that a British and Commonwealth Serviceman can achieve. It . dates back to 1856 during the Crimean War. The graves of many soldiers who were awarded the VC for their actions in the First World War but were not killed in action have been left to crumble .
yesterday. Nearly 1,000 Victoria Cross winners are buried in UK churchyards and cemeteries, and plots have fallen into . neglect. ‘The UK affords winners killed in action, such as Bryan Budd, pictured, have their graves looked after by the of many soldiers who were awarded the VC for