Charles Ernest Garforth

Sergeant Charles Ernest Garforth VC (23 October 1891 – 1 July 1973) was a British Army soldier and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. His VC was one of the two first VCs won in the First World War.

He was taken prisoner in October 1914 and was repatriated in November 1918. He later achieved the rank of sergeant. His VC and other medals are displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London.

Upon his death, Garforth was cremated, and no monument or headstone was laid, as he technically had no grave. This was rectified on 30 August 2008, when a headstone was dedicated to him at Wilford Hill Cemetery in Nottingham, where his ashes were originally scattered. In August 2014 a memorial plaque was laid in the pavement in Willesden Green High Street, outside the post office, by the Department for Communities and Local Government.