his battalion, this time across the Beaurevoir-Bonsomme Line, near Ramicourt, when he was killed in action by a sniper. For his actions of 29 September 1918, he was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC). The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of the British Empire. The citation for his VC, the only one of the First World War to be awarded to a cleric of the Church of England performing a combat role, read as follows: He was survived by his wife, who was pregnant with their son. King George V presented Vann's VC to his widow in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 26 November 1919. Vann was initially buried near where he was killed but in 1920, his remains were moved to Bellicourt British Cemetery in Aisne, France. The inscription on his headstone, "A Great Priest Who Is In His Days Pleased God", was written by the Bishop of Peterborough. Medals and legacy Vann's medals which, in addition to the VC and the MC & bar, included the 1914–15 Star, the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal remained in the family for many years. In May 2010, the VC and the MC and bar were purchased by Lord Ashcroft and are displayed at the Lord Ashcroft Gallery in the Imperial War Museum. Several memorials to Vann's memory exist. There is a plaque on the house where he was born in Rushden. At Coates, Gloucestershire, where his family moved after the death of his father, he is listed on the roll of honour at St Matthew's Church and on the village war memorial. At the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Newark-on-Trent where the 8th Sherwood Foresters are commemorated, there is a memorial. A memorial plaque survives in the former St Barnabas' Church, Leicester, where he was curate. On 8 November 2014, a plaque honouring Vann and five other Derby County players killed during the First World War was unveiled outside the club's Pride Park Stadium. On 29 September 2018, his grandsons unveiled a commemorative stone in Rushden. His grandson Michael unveiled a memorial plaque in the chapel at Wellingborough School on 10 November 2018. Notes References External links Rushden Heritage website 1887 births 1918 deaths People from Rushden Wellingborough School Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge English footballers Association football forwards Northampton Town F.C. players Derby County F.C. players