Merchant Taylors’ School yesterday marked the return of alumnus George Drewry’s Victoria Cross, which had been on display at the Imperial War Museum for the past 29 years.
The ceremony brought together members of the Drewry family, alumni, governors, members of the Court of Merchant Taylors’ Company and representatives of the Gallipoli Association and VC & GC Association, honouring Drewry’s bravery during the Gallipoli landings on 25 April 1915. The event reaffirmed the School’s commitment to remembrance and to the enduring values of courage and character that continue to shape our boys today.
The date was particularly significant because it marks 109 years since George Drewry returned to Merchant Taylors’ to show staff and pupils the medal he had received only days earlier from King George V. Drewry, who attended Merchant Taylors’ from 1907 to 1909, earned the VC as Midshipman on HMS Hussar for his actions under fire at Cape Helles. He rose rapidly through the ranks before being killed in an accident in Scapa Flow in 1918.
The School was especially honoured to welcome WO2 Johnson Beharry VC, a serving soldier and one of only a small number of living VC holders, who joined us for the occasion as a Merchant Taylors’ parent. He carried the Drewry VC out of the ceremony, a deeply meaningful gesture that linked two stories of extraordinary bravery across generations of the Taylors’ community.
Cadets from all three CCF sections stood as honour guard, with a firsthand account from Gallipoli read by Cadet Under Officer Ben P. and Cadet Warrant Officer, Magnus C. Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the Lord Stirrup KG GCB AFC, and alumnus, read an extract from Field Marshall, Baron Bramall’s address at the 1996 ceremony when the medal was loaned to the Imperial War Museum.
This is a special moment in the history of Merchant Taylors’ School. Welcoming George Drewry’s Victoria Cross back to Merchant Taylors’ is both a privilege and a profound moment of reflection for our community. His courage and sense of duty speak directly to the values we seek to instil in our boys today. For our pupils to encounter this history first-hand is invaluable, reminding us all that character is shaped not by circumstance, but by the choices we make in service of others.
The Head Master shared a message from General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, First Sea Lord who paid tribute to Drewry:
“Midshipman George Drewry’s actions at Gallipoli exemplify the finest traditions of the Royal Navy – courage, determination, and selfless service in the face of overwhelming danger. His bravery, continuing under fire despite severe wounds, ensured the success of a critical operation and saved countless lives. ”
“The return of Midshipman George Drewry’s Victoria Cross to Merchant Taylors’ School, with Johnson Beharry VC in attendance, brings together the legacy of a valiant recipient who gave his life in service and the presence of a living holder of this distinguished honour. To witness the coming together of two Victoria Crosses is a rare and a moving tribute to the enduring values of duty and sacrifice.”
The medal returns to Taylors’ alongside a remarkable suite of Drewry family artefacts bequeathed to the School in 1969 by the Estate of Herbert P. Drewry, George’s brother. These include a recently conserved family scrapbook of contemporary newspaper cuttings, the bell from the SS River Clyde, and a painting of the ship by Ralph Drewry, the youngest brother, which hangs in the Great Hall lobby.
Several members of the Drewry family attended the event, some of whom were present at the 1996 handover ceremony at which Field Marshal Baron Bramall, then Chairman of Trustees at the Imperial War Museum, accepted the medal from Head Master Jon Gabitass for its long-term loan to the Museum’s Lord Ashcroft Gallery.
The return of the Victoria Cross marks an important moment for the School’s professionally managed archive and its commitment to preserving these extraordinary artefacts, ensuring they are accessible to our pupils and the wider community, and to honouring the service of Old Merchant Taylors.
The medal will be securely stored offsite, with a replica and accompanying artefacts made available for pupils and visitors, ensuring that Drewry’s story – and the service of the 1,820 OMTs who served in the First World War, including the 311 members of the Taylors’ community who gave their lives – remain visible and understood by future generations.
