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Grave dedicated to Victoria Cross war hero restored

Matt WeigoldDerby
BBC A white headstone, grave and outdoor vase in a graveyard. A women crouches beside the grave putting red tulips into the vase. She has short fair hair, sunglasses, a navy coat, dark blue jeans and black boots. There are two poppy wreaths and a bunch of poppies laid on the gravel of the grave. There are trees and other darker graves in the background. The headstone is engraved with flowers, a cross and words. Those words read. "In memory of Adeline Rivers who died March 1st 1937 aged 80 years. Also to the memory of her son, No. 6016 Private Jacob Rivers, V.C. 1st Bt The Sherwood Foresters, who was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, France, March 12th 1915, aged 33 years. Erected by officers, warrant officers, N.C.O. and men of the Sherwood Foresters." BBC
Relative Tracey Hough said the grave was "beautiful" after the restoration

A grave dedicated to the memory of a Victoria Cross war hero from Derby has been restored, 111 years after his death.

Pte Jacob Rivers, of the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters, was killed in action in Neuve Chapelle in France on 12 March 1915 aged 33 and was posthumously awarded for his bravery there.

With no known grave, he is remembered on his mother Adeline's headstone at Nottingham Road Cemetery.

Jacob's relatives joined the Mayor of Derby, the Lord Lieutenant and others for a wreath-laying service beside the headstone on Thursday after it was refurbished by the Victoria Cross Trust.

"It's beautiful," said Tracey Hough, Jacob's great-niece. "They've made a fantastic job of it."

Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery Two images of the same grave. Left, the headstone, gravel and vase is very grey and dirty with a bunch of pink flowers resting in the vase. Right, the grave is clean and bright. There are trees and other darker graves in the background. The headstone is engraved with flowers, a cross and words. Those words read. "In memory of Adeline Rivers who died March 1st 1937 aged 80 years. Also to the memory of her son, No. 6016 Private Jacob Rivers, V.C. 1st Bt The Sherwood Foresters, who was killed in action at Neuve Chapelle, France, March 12th 1915, aged 33 years. Erected by officers, warrant officers, N.C.O. and men of the Sherwood Foresters." Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery
The grave was restored by the Victoria Cross Trust

Jacob enlisted into the Royal Scots Fusiliers in June 1899 at 17 years old and served overseas before joining the Midland Railway Company as a labourer.

He re-enlisted with the 1st Battalion Sherwood Foresters in August 1914 during World War One and was sent to France.

According to the Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery, a citation in the Long Gazette dated 27 April 1915 states that, on 12 March 1915, Jacob "on his own initiative, crept to within a few yards of a very large number of the enemy who were massed on the flank of an advanced company of his battalion, and hurled bombs on them".

It caused the enemy to retire, the citation adds, and Jacob repeated his act of bravery on the same day, but was killed.

Adeline received the Victoria Cross, the highest military decoration awarded by the UK and the Commonwealth, on her son's behalf.

She bequeathed her son's award to the Sherwood Foresters Regiment when she passed away in March 1937.

The battalion funded her headstone to commemorate both Adeline and her war hero son.

Jacob was also commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial in France and on plaques around Derby, including a blue plaque on the corner of King Street and Queen Street.

Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery Three members of uniformed military stand in a graveyard holding flags with their backs to the camera. In front of them is a white headstone. In front of that is a crowd of around fifty people, the majority of them holding an order of service. In the background are many trees.Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery
A wreath-laying service took place at the grave on Thursday

Phil O'Brien, member of the Derby and District Ex-services Association, noticed the grave looked unkempt while on a Commonwealth War Graves Commission tour of the cemetery.

"I thought the regiment wouldn't be happy if they knew it was like that," he said.

"We had this real can-do attitude, the regiment provided some funding, Victoria Cross Trust got their experts at refurbishment, Friends of Nottingham Road Cemetery worked with them and then we organised today's event as a rededication to thank the people who'd worked on it."

About 50 people attended the service, including Anne Wells, another great-niece of Jacob's, who said it was "an honour to be invited".

She added: "He got the highest honour in the country and it's a real honour to be descended from that family."

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