A POIGNANT ceremony to honour the moment a war hero from Beaconsfield was awarded a Victoria Cross, was attended by the town’s crier, who laid a wreath on the very same battlefield.

Dick Smith attended a ceremony in Audregnies, Belgium, on Sunday, August 24, exactly one hundred years after Francis Grenfell was awarded his VC.

Captain Grenfell, whose twin brother, Riversdale, also fought in the war, was given the joint highest military accolade, for protecting guns from the enemy after being shot and severely wounded in August 1914.

On the anniversary, six coach loads of people from the UK drove out to Belgium to visit the famous battlefields.

When in Audregnies, Mr Smith laid a spray of poppies for the man who lived in Beaconsfield from a young age.

He said: “I did feel very privileged to be able to do it. It was one of those days you will probably remember for a very long time.

“That was exactly a hundred years to the day, and that sort of event will not happen in my lifetime again.

“We went out there to honour him, as I think we should. I laid the wreath, read the Royal British Legion exaltation and gave a short speech about the brothers to other people who joined us out there.”

He added: “Recently I also laid a wreath inside the church to honour the death of Francis’ brother.

“It was nothing big or public but I felt the need to honour his life, like we did his brothers, I felt like it was my duty.”

On the same day as Mr Smith’s visit to Belgium, a commemorative stone in honour of Captain Grenfell was unveiled in Guilford, where he was born.

Both Mayor and deputy mayor of Beaconsfield Steve Jones and John Read went to the ceremony and Mr Smith says he would have joined had he not been abroad.

A replica of the commemorative stone will also be unveiled near the war memorial on Remembrance Sunday.