TELEVISION star Kenny Doughty said he was filled with pride after learning that his great grandfather was awarded one of the highest military honours for preventing an explosion.
Kenny, who grew up in Wombwell, and his family had known his mum’s grandfather Sydney Walker had been awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal in 1918, but did not know why.
A citation has been found which explains that Pte Walker, who had been acting as a look out, extinguished a burning box of bombs to prevent an explosion.
The citation states: “For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.
“While on sentry duty at an isolated machine gun post, an enemy shell set fire to a box of bombs and trench mortar shells. With complete disregard for personal safety he at once jumped on the parapet, and, under continuous sniping and shell fire, shovelled earth on to the flames and extinguished the fire.”
The bravery medal is second only to the Victoria Cross and only 25,000 were awarded during the war.
The citation has come about after Kenny asked volunteers at the Barnsley War Memorial Project for help.
Kenny, 42, who appears alongside Brenda Blethyn in police drama Vera, said: “I was doing my family tree and I found his war record from World War One. A good friend of mine who is interested in military history broke it all down for me and said he’d won the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which is one below the Victoria Cross.
“No one in our family knew, and at that time we were trying to find out what he got it for.”
Having found out the reason why Pte Walker won the medal, Kenny said: “At first I couldn’t believe I had got his records. It’s a very strange thing, doing a family tree. Even though you don’t know these people, you read their stories and they become real, and you feel pride and joy.
“You think ‘wow, they did that’ even though we didn’t know him personally. For me as an actor, you try and imagine what that must be like.
“My mum was crying and asked if he was a war hero, and I guess he was. It was nice to be able to share it with my mum and auntie.”
Kenny said Pte Walker was just 18 when he signed up and did four years’ service, serving in Gallipoli and France and working down the pit when he returned home.
He added: “He never talked about it. My grandfather, who I knew until I was 13, never mentioned about his dad being in the war and winning the medal.”
He also said none of his family had ever really known what Pte Walker had looked like. Kenny had a physical description from his records, but was overjoyed to see a photo of him.
Through his research, Kenny also discovered that Pte Walker’s father, Frank Walker, was a famous rugby football player who won a trophy in 1890. He said the match was held in Huddersfield and there were 25,000 spectators.
Kenny is still appealing for information about his family.
