City tribute to forgotten first winner of VC medal

ONE of the Capital's forgotten war heroes was set to be remembered by the erection of a plaque near the house he was born in.

Private William Reynolds was one of the first recipients of the Victoria Cross when the country's highest military honour was first handed out in 1857.

Historians have now discovered that Private Reynolds, who became a national hero for his courage at the Battle of the Alma during the Crimean War, was born in a house in Jamaica Street and lived there until he left to join the Army at the age of 17.

Now the military history group the One O'Clock Gun Association has applied to the council to erect a plaque to be put up near the property, which still stands as 5 Jamaica Street South Lane.

It follows previous research from the group that found his body lies in an unmarked grave in London.

A headstone is already being made to mark the spot where his body lies and will be sent south to London from Edinburgh Castle in March.

The research into the life of Private Reynolds has been supported by Falklands veteran Major Iain Dalzel Job, president of the Scots Guards Association Club.

Military historian Patricia Player uncovered the details of his family home in Edinburgh during her research after going through piles of family birth certificates and census records.

She believes that he was likely to have helped his mother run a greengrocers business that she ran from home before joining the Army and becoming a hero of the Crimean War.

Ms Player, a researcher for the One O'Clock Gun Association, said: "He deserves to be remembered, especially in Edinburgh where he grew up. He was one of the first men ever to receive the Victoria Cross so that shows how important he was.

"It looks like his mother also operated a greengrocer business from the address and it was common in those days for it to be just one room within a residential address. It was most likely that he would have helped out with that before joining the Army, even though he was just a child." Private Reynolds was one of the guardsmen from No 4 Company that supported the Scots (Fusilier) Guards' colour party at the Battle of the Alma on September 20, 1854.

The Queen's Colour was pierced by 24 bullets and the pole shot in half as the colour party came under attack.

He played a vital role in rallying the troops and ensuring they fought on, despite coming under increasingly heavy fire. He received his Victoria Cross at the first ceremony 150 years ago.

After retiring from the Army he move to London and became a banker's messenger until he died at his home on Stanhope Street in The Strand in 1869.

He was buried in an unmarked grave in London's Broakwood Cemetery and largely forgotten until further details on his life were discovered last month.

George Robinson, secretary of the One O'Clock Gun Association, said: "It would be great to get a plaque up there because you need to remember people like him.

"We were delighted when we heard the Scots Guards were going to put the headstone up in London but we need to have something in Edinburgh too because that's where he was born. It's ideal that we found the house he lived in still standing.

"It was lucky that it was still standing because a lot of Jamaica Street has been knocked down." The city council is expected to make a final decision on whether to erect a plaque in Jamaica Street South Lane later this year.