THE VICTORIA CROSS AWARDED TO COLOUR SERGEANT MAJOR PETER WRIGHT, 3RD BN, COLDSTREAM GUARDS, HAS BEEN ACQUIRED BY THE LORD ASHCROFT VC COLLECTION.
May 2015


( select to enlarge )
Medal entitlement of Company Sergeant Major Peter Wright,
3rd Bn, Coldstream Guards

  • Victoria Cross
  • General Service Medal ( 1918-62 )
    • 1 clasp:
    • "Palestine"
  • 1939-45 Star
  • Africa Star + clasp "8th Army"
  • Italy Star
  • Defence Medal ( 1939-45 )
  • War Medal ( 1939-45 )
  • Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal ( 1953 )
  • Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal ( 1977 )

The Victoria Cross and campaign medals awarded to Company Sergeant Major Peter Wright, 3rd Bn, Coldstream Guards, have been acquired by the Michael Ashcroft Trust the holding institution for the Lord Ashcroft Victoria Cross Collection. The Peter Wright VC group will go on display in the Imperial War Museum's Lord Ashcroft Gallery.


For the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal

[ London Gazette, 27 January 1944 ], Salerno, Italy, 25 September 1943, Colour Sergeant Major Peter Harold Wright, 3rd Bn, Coldstream Guards.

Following the intervention by King George VI Peter Wright's award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal was uprated to the award of the Victoria Cross.


For the award of the Victoria Cross

[ London Gazette, 27 January 1944 ], Salerno, Italy, 25 September 1943, Colour Sergeant Major Peter Harold Wright, 3rd Bn, Coldstream Guards.

In Italy on the 25th September 1943, the 3rd Battalion, Coldstream Guards, attacked the Pagliarolli feature, a steep wooded hill near Salerno. Before it reached the crest the right hand company was held up by heavy spandau and mortar fire and all the officers had become casualties.

C.S.M. Wright, seeing that his company was held up, went forward to see what could be done. Finding that there were no officers left he immediately took charge and crawled forward by himself to see what the opposition was. He returned with the information that three spandau posts were holding them up. He collected a section and put it into a position where it could give covering fire. Single-handed he then attacked each post in turn with hand grenades and bayonet and silenced each one.

He then led the company on to the crest but realised that the enemy fire made this position untenable. C.S.M. Wright therefore led them a short way down the hill and up on to the objective from a different direction. Entirely regardless of enemy fire, which was very heavy, C.S.M. Wright then reorganised what was left of the company and placed them into position to consolidate the objective. Soon afterwards the enemy launched a counter-attack which was successfully beaten off.

Later, with complete disregard of heavy enemy shell-fire on the area of company headquarters and the reverse slopes of the hill and of machine-gun fire from the commanding slopes on the left flank of the position, he brought up extra ammunition and distributed it to the company.

It is due to this Warrant Officer's superb disregard of the enemy's fire, his magnificent leadership and his outstanding heroism throughout the action that his battalion succeeded in capturing and maintaining its hold on this very important objective.

Peter Wright was invested with his Victoria Cross by King George VI at Buckingham Palace on the 22nd November 1944.


Peter Wright died on the 6th April 1990 at Ipswich and was buried in All Saints Churchyard, Ashbocking, Suffolk.

Acquisitions

Go to VC UK flag Home Page

Iain Stewart, May 2015