Sleaford school raises enough cash to bring wartime medals home

A Sleaford primary school has received delivery of a collection of First World War medals of a former pupil and his father after successfully raising enough to buy them within the space of a couple of weeks.
William Alvey School Year 6 pupils who helped launch the campaign to buy back William and Charles Penson's war medals have been invited to a memorial service in Hull on the anniversary of the airship crash. They are Ithar Belazizia, David Garcia and Oliver Kirkman. EMN-210324-183700001William Alvey School Year 6 pupils who helped launch the campaign to buy back William and Charles Penson's war medals have been invited to a memorial service in Hull on the anniversary of the airship crash. They are Ithar Belazizia, David Garcia and Oliver Kirkman. EMN-210324-183700001
William Alvey School Year 6 pupils who helped launch the campaign to buy back William and Charles Penson's war medals have been invited to a memorial service in Hull on the anniversary of the airship crash. They are Ithar Belazizia, David Garcia and Oliver Kirkman. EMN-210324-183700001

William Alvey School has now raised £970 to buy the medals once owned by Charles Penson and his father William, after they were offered for sale by a collector, Darren Howlett.

They have been from Sleaford to Australia, back to Hull and now home to Sleaford.

Charles is mentioned in the roll of honour of 72 former pupils who died in the Great War that the school recently researched and had a plaque erected in their honour. However, Charles, who served with the Royal Naval Air Service, actually died later in a tragic airship crash off the coast near Hull on August, 24, 1921.

The public response to the original story on their appeal to buy the medals was heart-warming, says headteacher Stephen Tapley. “We wanted £800 and last week we reached the target and have now actually got £970 on our ‘Bring Charlie’s Medals Home’ JustGiving page.”

The spare cash will pay for a secure display case for the medals to form part of a mini wartime museum resource for pupils.

“The Western Front Association made a donation and are keen to get involved, the RAF Benevolent Fund want to support us, Cranwell Aviation Heritage Museum would like to borrow the medals and Sleaford Museum are going to help us with a pop-up display. Only this morning a gentleman contacted the school and offered to pay the whole £800. It has been a massive community effort and we have been taken aback by the generosity that has been shown by our parents, grandparents, staff, friends of the school, old ‘Alveyians’, local businesses and supporters more generally.”

The school’s history co-ordinator Mrs Mason said, although the school will be custodians, the medals belong to everyone who has made a contribution. She and another member of staff went down to Charles’ grave in Sleaford Cemetery and cleaned it up. They are going to contact the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to see if they will authorize a re-painting of the inscription.

Tidied up - Charles Penson's grave in Sleaford Cemetery. EMN-210324-183711001Tidied up - Charles Penson's grave in Sleaford Cemetery. EMN-210324-183711001
Tidied up - Charles Penson's grave in Sleaford Cemetery. EMN-210324-183711001

This year will be the centenary of the R.38 airship disaster in which Charles Penson died and Hull Minster is organising a remembrance service on August 24, the day of the disaster, and have invited Mrs Mason and some of her year 6 pupils who helped launch the campaign to go along. They were Ithar Belazizia, David Garcia and Oliver Kirkman. Mrs Mason is planning a remembrance service for Charlie Penson in Sleaford.

Darren Howlett, the current owner, has offered to give a talk on Charlie Penson.

Mr Howlett has studied the description of Charles Penson, looked at the grainy newspaper photo reporting his death and thinks that he could be pictured in a crew photo of the R.38 that he has found.

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