REMEMBRANCE
Ealing , fleeing German occupation . The bravery of the small Belgian army and the atrocities committed on its civilians caused great sympathy towards them . Residents helped the new arrivals with accommodation , food and clothing . Visit the history section at ealingnewsextra . co . uk / history to read the recent series of articles , or search ‘ First World War ’ at ealingnewsextra . co . uk for all of the stories on the site relating to the subject .
REMEMBRANCE SERVICES On Remembrance Sunday ( 11 November ) the country will stop to commemorate the sacrifice of our armed forces , past and present . Mayor of Ealing , Councillor Tejinder Dhami , is due to attend a service at Ealing War Memorial on Ealing Green , in front of Pitzhanger Manor , with a two-minute silence at 11am . The local branch of the Royal British Legion marches each year to Greenford War Memorial from its headquarters in Oldfield Lane South for a public service at 11am . A parade also traditionally begins in Manor Park and passes through Southall on the way to Southall War Memorial on The Green for a service at 11am . For more information nearer the time , visit www . ealing . gov . uk
The local branch of the Royal British Legion marches each year to Greenford War Memorial
Tribute to local hero
A paving stone was laid in Spencer Road , Acton , to commemorate the Victoria Cross awarded to war hero Robert Spall a century ago .
The Victoria Cross ( VC ) is the highest award for gallantry that British and Commonwealth serviceman can achieve . It is linked with acts of extreme bravery and is awarded for gallantry of the highest order . Every recipient of the VC is remembered with a commemorative paving stone laid in a location with significance for the recipient ( in this case , the road he lived in ); and it is done at the same time of year as when the original act of bravery took place – in this case , August .
Robert , or Bob as he was known , was born on 5 March 1890 and lived in Spencer Road ( hence the placement of the new stone ). In July 1915 , at the age of 25 , he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force and fought in the First World War . Bob died on 13 August 1918 aged 28 and , sadly , his final resting place has never been identified .
His VC citation included the words : ‘ Spall deliberately gave his life in order to extricate his platoon from a most difficult situation , and it was owing to his bravery that the platoon was saved .’
The paving stone in Spencer Road was unveiled by the mayor of Ealing , Councillor Tejinder Dhami , at 11am on 13 August . Also in attendance was council leader Julian Bell , Rector of Acton the Reverend Dean Ayres and military representatives . Visit ealingnewsextra . co . uk / features / local-hero for the full story . around ealing October 2018 11