10694 Private Abraham Acton VC

Born in Whitehaven, Cumberland (now Cumbria) in 1892,  he enlisted at Whitehaven in the 5th Battalion Border Regiment (Territorial Force). He then transferred to the 2nd Battalion Border Regiment in January 1914 as a regular soldier.

Abraham Acton  went to the Western Front with a draft of reinforcements, which included Private James Smith, on 25 November 1914.

On 21 December 1914 at Rouges Bancs, France, Smith and Abraham Acton, voluntarily went out from their trench and rescued a wounded man who had been lying exposed against the enemy’s trenches for 75 hours. On the same day they again left their trench under heavy fire to bring in another wounded man.

They were under fire for 60 minutes whilst conveying the wounded men to safety. He was Awarded the VC for  this action the deed recounted in advert for Zam Buk Ointment  on back cover of The Illustrated London News of 17 April 1915.

He was sadly Killed in action at Festubert on 16 May 1915.

His VC  was presented to his parents by HM King George V at Buckingham Palace on 29 November 1916.

The medal is currently on display at The Beacon Museum Whitehaven