A COMMEMORATIVE stone tribute to a village’s Victoria Cross winner will be installed close to his grave later this year, exactly a century after he was awarded the honour.

Forest planners approved listed building consent for the 46kg stone, which will be sited in the boundary wall of Clearwell Cemetery where Private Francis Miles is buried.

The stone honour is being provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government to mark the centenary of the First World War from 1914 to 1918.

Villagers were given the chance to vote on where to site the stone, and backed the cemetery as the best location, beside the house where he lived.

The aim is to lay the 60cm by 60cm tribute on the 100th anniversary of Private Miles’ VC award, which he won “for conspicuous bravery and initiative” at the Battle of the Selle in France on October 23, 1918.

His grandchildren – who include Bill Russell from Milkwall, Michael Brown from Bream, Brian Martin from Sling and Chris Taylor from Lydney – have expressed their delight that his bravery is being remembered again a century on from the First World War.

Bill, 84, said when the stone tribute was first discussed last year: “We’re very proud of him and the village is too. It was truly magnificent what he did, but he never talked about it much at all. He was quiet and humble, a really nice man.

“We think it’s a great idea to mark what he did on the centenary of his bravery.”

Remarkably, the Forest miner had already been wounded twice before winning the highest military honour for bravery, including when he was the only survivor of an explosion in a mine that killed some 50 men.

Born on July 19, 1896, the VC winner attended Clearwell village school before working in the local colliery.

When war broke out he enlisted in the 9th Gloucesters, and was sent to France, where he was wounded and hospitalised back to England.

He was then attached to the Royal Engineers as a tunneller, but was again wounded in the mine explosion before returning to the Gloucesters and joining the 5th battalion.

East of Le Cateau in October 1918 the regiment was given the task of clearing part of the Bois L’Eveque close to a mill, and met with stubborn resistance from machine gun posts.

Private Miles’ VC citation said that on October 23, and without any thought for his safety, he single-handedly “went forward under exceptionally heavy fire, located a machine gun, shot the gunner and put the gun out of action.”

It added: “Observing another gun nearby, he again advanced alone, shot the gunner, rushed the gun, and captured the team of eight.

“Finally he stood up and beckoned to his company, who, working on his signals, were enabled to work around the rear of the line and to capture 16 machine guns, one officer, and 50 other ranks.

“It was due to the courage, initiative, and entire disregard of personal safety shown by this very gallant soldier that the company was enabled to advance at a time when any delay would have jeopardised seriously the whole operation.”

Private Miles was invested with his VC by King George V at Buckingham Palace on May 30, 1919, and the honour is currently part of the Lord Ashcroft VC collection at the Imperial War Museum in London.

After the war, he returned to work in the local colliery and joined up again in World War Two, serving with the Pioneer Corps. He died on November 8, 1961, aged 65.

The tribute will be sited in the wall in front of the 151-year-old rundown cemetery chapel, which the parish church council and volunteers are currently trying to preserve.

The Grade II-listed chapel has been fenced off for several years as the entrance door is in danger of collapse from the weight of the damaged rose window above it, caused by a large tree growing next to the main door, which has now been cut down.

Other trees which were endangering the boundary wall and the chapel, built by renowned architect John Middleton, are also being removed, while a working group is looking at the possibility of creating a trust to apply for grants.

Anyone who would like to help save the chapel is asked to contact parish co-ordinator Alison Stuttard on 01594 368849.