Unveiling of Blue Plaque for Sergeant Thomas Harris VC MM

Unveiling of Blue Plaque for Sergeant Thomas Harris VC MM

Over a hundred people gathered outside number 79 High Street,Lower Halling, on Saturday 7 August when Halling Historical Society unveiled a blue plaque on the house where Halling’s World War 1 VC hero, Sergeant Thomas Harris VC MM, lived before enlisting at age 22.

Owners John and Natalie, along with their neighbours, and around forty members of the Harris family heard the story of Thomas growing up in the village then going to war aged twenty-two and into battle several times with the Queen’s Own Royal West Kent Regiment. Even though wounded twice in one year, and earning the Military Medal, Thomas went over the top again on 9 August 1918 (103 years ago today). His luck ran out though in an attack on several machine gun posts. One he captured single-handedly, and the crew surrendered to him. Going forward with his platoon commander, Second Lieutenant Sidney Upfold to attack another post, Thomas was killed, with a last message to his mother on his lips.

Second Lieutenant Upfold’s grandson, John Upfold, travelled from Cornwall and read the story of the Victoria Cross . The successor regiment to the Royal West Kents is the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment and local officer Captain Clive Phillimore MBE, read the citation to Thomas’s Victoria Cross before a Regimental bugler sounded the Last Post then Reveille after a minute’s silence.

It fell to three of the youngest members of Thomas’s family, five year old Kaya Byfield, seven year old Jenson Byfield, and twelve year old Ebony-May Page, to pull the rope that unveiled the plaque.

Invited guests enjoyed a tea party afterwards in the nearby Halling Community Centre, kindly put on by Halling Sapphires WI. Members of the Harris family and public had donated monies for the plaque and local builder, MCL, had fitted it free of charge.

For the full story of Thomas’s incredible bravery see pages on this website on ‘History of Halling’.