Latest news with #LordAshcroftGallery
Telegraph
02-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Lord Ashcroft: I will take Imperial War Museum to court over Victoria Cross gallery
Lord Ashcroft has threatened to sue the trustees of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) over plans to close down his namesake gallery housing the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses. The billionaire businessman has repeatedly criticised the museum's decision to shut down the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which displays his £70 million collection of 230 Victoria Cross (VC) and George Cross (GC) medals. He has called for the IWM to delay the closure date from June 1 until Sept 30 so the gallery will remain open for children during the summer holidays and for VJ (Victory over Japan) Day on Aug 15. He claimed the loan agreement for the medals was due to expire on Sept 30 and he would take legal action if this was not respected. 'I have written today to the trustees of the museum to ask that the full term of our agreement be respected,' Lord Ashcroft, 79, said in a post on X on Friday. 'I am hopeful that they will agree. However, if not, I firmly intend to ask the courts to intervene. 'In the meantime, I trust that the museum will not resort to any precipitation of the gallery closure by invoking a termination of our agreement. That could not possibly be in the public interest, and it will be resisted.' The Lord Ashcroft Gallery was opened in 2010 following a £5 million donation from the life peer and the medals were loaned out for 15 years. The museum announced earlier this year that the gallery would close to make way for new exhibits exploring post-Second World War conflicts, including the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, which it says are 'less well represented'. The IWM said it would display its own, far smaller, collection of VC and GC medals and that Lord Ashcroft's entire collection would be returned to him. The Telegraph understands that Lord Ashcroft has been unable to find a suitable vault to contain the collection and has asked that the museum provide a suitable location in the meantime and has threatened legal action if they do not. Lord Ashcroft said he met with living recipients of VC and GC medals at the gallery on Friday as part of an annual reunion for members of the Victoria Cross & George Cross Association. He said the meeting had him 'determined' to keep the gallery open for the complete duration of his agreement with the museum. 'This morning, observing heroes who were present in the gallery marvelling at the exploits of heroes who are no longer with us made me determined that the gallery stay open for the complete duration of my agreement with IWM,' he said. 'In other words, it should close not on May 31, but on September 30. This will enable families to visit during the school holidays, and be open for visitors to London for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on August 15.' Lord Ashcroft has previously claimed that the museum did not inform him about its plan for the gallery before a public announcement in February. He has questioned why he was not informed when the museum first made the decision in July last year. The decision by the museum has previously attracted criticism from veterans and politicians, who say the sacrifice and heroism of Britain's bravest soldiers risks being forgotten. 'Significant expenditure' An IWM spokesman said: 'We are aware of the comments made by Lord Ashcroft today. 'The original 1 June date was set out to enable the condition checking and security measures to take place prior to the end of the loan agreement in accordance with the Government Indemnity Scheme cover. 'Every potential extension was examined carefully, and an offer to keep the gallery opened until the 31 July has been made to Lord Ashcroft. 'Such extension of the gallery remaining open until that date, will put some strains on the work to decant within the time period as set out in the loan agreement. 'Any further extension or delay beyond the loan period will add significant expenditure to IWM and exposure for the taxpayer.'
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lord Ashcroft: I will take Imperial War Museum to court over Victoria Cross gallery
Lord Ashcroft has threatened to sue the trustees of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) over plans to close down his namesake gallery housing the world's largest collection of Victoria Crosses. The billionaire businessman has repeatedly criticised the museum's decision to shut down the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which displays his £70 million collection of 230 Victoria Cross (VC) and George Cross (GC) medals. He has called for the IWM to delay the closure date from June 1 until Sept 30 so the gallery will remain open for children during the summer holidays and for VJ (Victory over Japan) Day on Aug 15. He claimed the loan agreement for the medals was due to expire on Sept 30 and he would take legal action if this was not respected. 'I have written today to the trustees of the museum to ask that the full term of our agreement be respected,' Lord Ashcroft, 79, said in a post on X on Friday. 'I am hopeful that they will agree. However, if not, I firmly intend to ask the courts to intervene. 'In the meantime, I trust that the museum will not resort to any precipitation of the gallery closure by invoking a termination of our agreement. That could not possibly be in the public interest, and it will be resisted.' The Lord Ashcroft Gallery was opened in 2010 following a £5 million donation from the life peer and the medals were loaned out for 15 years. The museum announced earlier this year that the gallery would close to make way for new exhibits exploring post-Second World War conflicts, including the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, which it says are 'less well represented'. The IWM said it would display its own, far smaller, collection of VC and GC medals and that Lord Ashcroft's entire collection would be returned to him. The Telegraph understands that Lord Ashcroft has been unable to find a suitable vault to contain the collection and has asked that the museum provide a suitable location in the meantime and has threatened legal action if they do not. Lord Ashcroft said he met with living recipients of VC and GC medals at the gallery on Friday as part of an annual reunion for members of the Victoria Cross & George Cross Association. He said the meeting had him 'determined' to keep the gallery open for the complete duration of his agreement with the museum. 'This morning, observing heroes who were present in the gallery marvelling at the exploits of heroes who are no longer with us made me determined that the gallery stay open for the complete duration of my agreement with IWM,' he said. 'In other words, it should close not on May 31, but on September 30. This will enable families to visit during the school holidays, and be open for visitors to London for the 80th anniversary of VJ Day on August 15.' Lord Ashcroft has previously claimed that the museum did not inform him about its plan for the gallery before a public announcement in February. He has questioned why he was not informed when the museum first made the decision in July last year. The decision by the museum has previously attracted criticism from veterans and politicians, who say the sacrifice and heroism of Britain's bravest soldiers risks being forgotten. An IWM spokesman said: 'We are aware of the comments made by Lord Ashcroft today. 'The original 1 June date was set out to enable the condition checking and security measures to take place prior to the end of the loan agreement in accordance with the Government Indemnity Scheme cover. 'Every potential extension was examined carefully, and an offer to keep the gallery opened until the 31 July has been made to Lord Ashcroft. 'Such extension of the gallery remaining open until that date, will put some strains on the work to decant within the time period as set out in the loan agreement. 'Any further extension or delay beyond the loan period will add significant expenditure to IWM and exposure for the taxpayer.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
VC families may have to go overseas to see ancestors' medals amid Imperial War Museum row
The families of Britain's bravest soldiers may have to travel overseas if they wish to see their ancestors' Victoria Cross medals after the Imperial War Museum shuts down the gallery that held a £70 million collection. Representatives from two Commonwealth nations have suggested they are willing to host galleries displaying the collection of 230 VC and George Cross medals, The Telegraph understands. Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka are possible contenders, according to sources. 'We are not talking about a minor member of the Commonwealth,' one said. One of the overtures was made by a former foreign prime minister, it is understood. It follows the controversial decision by the London museum to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which had displayed the collection for the past 15 years, in June. Lord Ashcroft, the billionaire businessman and former deputy chairman of the Conservative party, loaned the collection to the museum in 2010 and donated £5 million towards the gallery's opening. He says a Commonwealth minister 'very far from the UK' suggested their country 'might be amenable to housing the collection and putting it on public display'. Lord Ashcroft, 79, said: 'My disappointment at learning about the planned closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum has been tempered by the touching reaction to the imminent loss of my medal collection from public viewing. 'I have been so inundated by supportive comments from friends and strangers alike that I feel optimistic that, over the next three months, the number of people visiting the gallery could reach an all-time high. 'Not only have I been overwhelmed by public sentiment that the decision of the IWM trustees to close the gallery on June 1 is plain wrong, but I have also been surprised by the offers to show all or part of the collection at other venues. 'Perhaps the most striking offer came from a Commonwealth minister very far from the UK who suggested their country might be amenable to housing the collection and putting it on public display. 'As Sir Winston Churchill, our great wartime prime minister, once said: 'You never can tell whether bad luck may not after all turn out to be good luck.'' The VC is Britain's highest commendation for valour, and only 1,358 have been awarded since 1856. Families of VC recipients have been left perplexed by the museum's decision, which they called 'ill thought out' and 'appalling'. David Jackson – whose father Norman was awarded a VC by King George VI in 1945 after crawling on to the wing of a blazing Lancaster bomber at 22,000ft to try to put out an engine fire – has previously described the decision as a 'sacrilege' and 'senseless'. Mr Jackson, commenting on the prospect of the collection being displayed abroad, said: 'From my point of view it is a decision for Lord Ashcroft to make. Personally, I think that would be wonderful, a lot better, in my view, than being locked indefinitely in a vault and never being seen by the public.' The Imperial War Museum has said that the 15-year loan of Lord Ashcroft's medals was always intended to expire in 2025. It had formally made the decision to terminate the loan in July 2024 and had engaged with his representatives in 2023. Its own, much smaller, collection of VC and GC medals will be 'displayed across our UK branches [and] integrated within galleries that tell the full story of the conflicts in which of these acts of bravery occurred'. The museum added that no members of its staff had discussed the suggestion of the collection being put on display overseas nor had it arisen at any of the museum's board meetings. A spokesman said: 'We are enormously grateful to Lord Ashcroft for enabling us to display his unique collection since the gallery opened. Any decisions about the future display of the collection are of course a matter for him.'
Telegraph
28-02-2025
- General
- Telegraph
VC winners' families attack ‘appalling' Imperial War Museum decision to close gallery
The families of Britain's bravest soldiers have expressed bafflement and dismay at the Imperial War Museum's decision to permanently close the gallery displaying their ancestors' Victoria Cross medals. On Tuesday, the museum, in south-east London, announced that the Lord Ashcroft Gallery would close in less than four months, with its collection of around 230 Victoria Cross and George Cross medals removed from public view. The decision sparked condemnation from veterans, historians and politicians, including Lord Ashcroft. The billionaire businessman loaned his personal £70 million collection of medals in 2010, and donated £5 million towards the gallery's opening. The Imperial War Museum is facing questions over the 'ill thought-out' and 'appalling' decision from people whose relatives were awarded Britain's highest commendation for valour during the First and Second World Wars. Only 1,358 have been awarded since 1856. David Jackson – whose father, Warrant Officer Norman Jackson, was awarded a VC by King George VI in 1945 after crawling onto the wing of a blazing Lancaster bomber at 22,000ft to try to put out an engine fire – described the decision as a 'sacrilege' and 'senseless'. Mr Jackson, 71, from East Preston, in West Sussex, said he was perplexed by the museum's behaviour and why its board of trustees had not apparently informed Lord Ashcroft of the decision before its announcement on Tuesday. The gallery will be closed to make way for displays exploring 'less well represented' conflicts such as those in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, the museum said. Mr Jackson, who has recently finished writing a book about his father's heroics, told The Telegraph: 'I thought they [the medals] would always be on show to the public. 'What can you do? I am hoping they will have a rethink. It is out of our hands. I hope they will reconsider. It's a ridiculous decision to make, ill-thought out… it is a sacrilege, it is senseless. What can you put that is more important in their place?' 'I do not know what bright spark came up with this decision. It shows no respect to what this exhibition tells us.' Norman Jackson was 25 when he carried out a bombing raid over Germany on April 26 1944. After bombing a target near Nuremberg, his Lancaster turned for home but was attacked by a German fighter, setting an engine ablaze. Jackson clambered out of the aircraft and clung to the wing as the Lancaster tore through the night at 200mph, setting about putting out the fire with an extinguisher. He plunged thousands of feet to earth, with his parachute on fire, but survived when his fall was broken by bushes. He worked as a travelling salesman for Haig whisky after the war and died at Hampton Hill, in Middlesex, on March 26 1994 at the age of 74. His VC was auctioned in London in 2004, at the request of his family, and purchased by Lord Ashcroft for £200,000. At the time, it was the highest auction price ever paid for a VC. Colin Mottershead, who had painstakingly researched the First World War heroics of his grandfather, Flight Sergeant Thomas Mottershead, until his death last June, would have been 'dismayed' to hear that the exhibition had been closed down, his family told The Telegraph. Mottershead was posthumously awarded the VC in 1917 when his biplane was set ablaze by German aircraft fire. With an extraordinary display of skill and grit, he managed to land it safely back behind Allied lines – saving the life of his observer, Lt Gower, in the process. The London Gazette reported: 'Though he made a successful landing, the machine collapsed on touching the ground, pinning him beneath wreckage, from which he was subsequently rescued.' He died from his injuries five days later. The medal was presented to his widow, Lilian, by King George V in a ceremony in Hyde Park, central London, on June 2 1917. A statue to him was unveiled 100 years later in his home town of Widnes, Cheshire. Annabel Mottershead, 54, from Bath, said his exploits had been documented by her father's four grandchildren in school projects. She said the family had no idea whether her great-grandfather's medal would see the light of day again after June 1, when the display is due to close. She told The Telegraph: 'It is with great pride that we can all say Thomas Mottershead's medal is on display at the Imperial War Museum. What will happen to the medals now? 'Will Lord Ashcroft sell his collection if he cannot find a new home for them? Will they end up in private ownership, locked away from public view? I am unsure why the IWM wants to close this exhibition down. 'At this current time, I would have thought there is no greater importance and relevance than celebrating these gallant warriors who gave up their lives to defend their country. We must never forget them. We will remember them.' The actions of Lieutenant William Alexander Kerr, of the 24th Bombay Native Infantry, during the Indian Mutiny in 1857 will be well known to the hundreds of officer cadets passing through The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Hanging on the walls just outside the Indian Army Memorial Room in the training academy is a painting of the British soldier, who was awarded a VC for storming a stronghold of rebelling sepoys in Kolhapur. Outnumbered two to one, and armed with only bayonets, swords and crowbars, Kerr led 17 of his men in an assault against the garrison. During the assault, he narrowly survived a hail of musket bullets, which struck the chain on his helmet and sword. Blinded by gunpowder smoke, he was struck in the head by a musket and was only saved from being bayoneted by Gumpunt Rao, his loyal sowar. Kerr secured the fort at the cost of 12 men and was awarded the VC on Sept 4 1858. James Kerr, 73, suggested that the VCs awarded to his great-great-great uncle and other soldiers should be on display at the Tower of London if the Imperial War Museum was no longer an option. Mr Kerr, a former captain in the Coldstream Guards, said he was 'absolutely appalled' by the museum's decision. The semi-retired abstract artist said: 'I know for sure there is probably a bit of wokeism in it. It's all about and to do with being guilty of our empire, and all the things that happened, but that's cancel culture. 'These things happened, and whether the causes were – by today's values – different, these people were immensely brave and their self-sacrifice needs to be remembered. I am incensed with the information of how Lord Ashcroft has been dealt with, and I hope a suitable place can be found.' The Imperial War Museum has said that the 15-year-long loan of Lord Ashcroft's medals was always intended to expire in 2025. It had formally made the decision to terminate the loan in July 2024 and had engaged with his representatives in 2023. Its own, much smaller, collection of VC and GC medals will be 'displayed across our UK branches [and] integrated within galleries that tell the full story of the conflicts in which of these acts of bravery occurred'. A spokesman said: 'Like all museums, we regularly update our galleries to ensure we can share as much of the 33 million items in our collection as possible with the public. 'We are very proud to have displayed the Lord Ashcroft Medal Collection at IWM London since 2010, made possible thanks to a generous 15-year loan by Lord Ashcroft. 'IWM London has proudly displayed Victoria Crosses and George Crosses since 1968, and we remain committed to sharing these stories of the greatest acts of bravery and sacrifice in defence of our nation with the public.'
Telegraph
27-02-2025
- General
- Telegraph
The Imperial War Museum has made a terrible error over its VC gallery
SIR – The Imperial War Museum's decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery and remove the Victoria Cross and George Cross medals from public view (report, February 26) is a disgraceful betrayal of its mission. By relegating these symbols of bravery and sacrifice to storage, the museum dishonours the memory of the people who earned them and denies visitors a vital connection to Britain's military heritage. The excuse of creating 'new galleries' for post-Second World War conflicts is flimsy at best, and reeks of pandering to ideological trends. By apparently failing to clarify its plans to Lord Ashcroft in good time, the museum also showed a shocking lack of respect. These medals are not just artefacts – they represent the essence of our national identity and ideals of service. The museum must reverse its decision and continue to honour those who fought for our freedoms. Jeremy Stone Hong Kong SIR – I was greatly saddened to read that the Imperial War Museum is to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery. My ancestor Robert Blair won the VC during the Indian Mutiny at Bulandshahr in 1857; earlier this year I went to see his medal, which is in the collection. I thought all the medals and accompanying details were beautifully and sensitively displayed, and found the whole experience highly informative. I sincerely hope that a new venue can soon be found so that others can enjoy this wonderful exhibition. Robin Lane Devizes, Wiltshire SIR – As someone who is unashamedly proud of the history and achievements of this nation, I am appalled at the Imperial War Museum's decision. I can only imagine there was discomfort about some of the people behind these heroic acts, as well as the period in which many of the medals were awarded. The 'imperial' in the museum's name is surely on borrowed time, too. It will be interesting to see what exactly replaces this substantial collection. The trustees should bear in mind that the medals were won by people from all walks of life, united simply by a willingness to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others. They are a magnificent leveller. William Furner Fakenham, Norfolk SIR – Perhaps Lord Ashcroft, who kindly loaned his collection to the Imperial War Museum for 15 years, would consider allowing the medals to be displayed in regimental museums in the areas from which their brave recipients came. This would give local people and schoolchildren the opportunity to learn about the courageous and selfless actions that helped to preserve our freedom. J E Kelly Horwich, Lancashire
