Walter Napleton Stone
Encyclopedia
Walter Napleton Stone VC
(7 December1891 - 30 November 1917) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces. He was born in Blackheath, London
.
and Pembroke College, Cambridge
.
As a 25-year-old, he was an Acting Captain in the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, British Army
, attached 17th (Service) Battalion during the First World War
. He was awarded the VC for his actions on 30 November 1917 in the Cambrai
Sector, France
, which lead to his death.
. About thirty yards in front of the War Memorial is a group of graves of the Stone family. On the largest are the names of Walter's parents, and underneath the inscription:
W. N.Stone VC is listed as a parishioner on parish cavalry war memorial in the Trinity Chapel of The Collegiate Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shrewsbury.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(7 December1891 - 30 November 1917) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces. He was born in Blackheath, London
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
.
Details
Born on 7 December 1891 to Edward and Emily Frances Stone, of Blackheath, London. Stone was educated at Harrow SchoolHarrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
and Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
.
As a 25-year-old, he was an Acting Captain in the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Fusiliers, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, attached 17th (Service) Battalion during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was awarded the VC for his actions on 30 November 1917 in the Cambrai
Cambrai
Cambrai is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Cambrai is the seat of an archdiocese whose jurisdiction was immense during the Middle Ages. The territory of the Bishopric of Cambrai, roughly coinciding with the shire of Brabant, included...
Sector, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, which lead to his death.
Citation
Further information
There is a memorial to Walter Napleton Stone in Greenwich Cemetery, south-east London. The actual grave has never been located and he is commemorated on the Cambrai Memorial to the MissingCambrai Memorial to the Missing
The Cambrai Memorial to the Missing is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial for the missing soldiers of World War I who fought in the Battle of Cambrai on the Western Front.-Foundation:...
. About thirty yards in front of the War Memorial is a group of graves of the Stone family. On the largest are the names of Walter's parents, and underneath the inscription:
- "also in memory of Lt Col Arthur Stone DSO, 16th Lanc Fusiliers, second son of the above, killed 2 October 1918......; and Capt Walter Napleton Stone VC, 17th Royal Fusiliers, fifth son of the above, killed Bourlon Wood, France, 30 November 1917, presumed buried by the Germans near Moeuvres."
W. N.Stone VC is listed as a parishioner on parish cavalry war memorial in the Trinity Chapel of The Collegiate Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shrewsbury.