RE John Pennington Harman, who won the VC at Kohima, Assam on April 9 1944 (Letters May 6), the citation states that on April 8/9 1944 at Kohima, India, Lance Corporal Harman was commanding a section of a forward platoon where the enemy had established a machine-gun post within 50 yards of his company and were becoming a menace (understatement!). As it was not possible to bring fire on the enemy post the lance-corporal went forward by himself and threw a grenade into the position, annihilating it. Early next morning, having ordered covering fire from his bren-gun, he went alone, with fixed bayonet and charged a party of Japanese who were digging in, shooting four and bayonetting one. On returning to his position he was fatally wounded.

John Harman was born in Beckenham, Kent on July 20 1914, and so was 29 years old when he died. He was buried at the Kohima War Cemetery.

The VC was instituted in 1854 and one of the first to be awarded it was a William Stanlake (also spelt Stanlack and Stanlock) who was gazetted on February 24 1857. The citation says that on October 26 1854 near Inkerman, Crimea, Private Stanlake, when employed as a sharpshooter, volunteered to reconnoitre, and although warned of the dangers he would encounter, crawled to within six yards of a Russian sentry and brought back such information that the officer in charge of a party was able to make a surprise attack.

Stanlake, who had also been awarded the DCM, was born at Halwill, near Okehampton on October 31 1830 and died in London on April 24 1904. He served in the Coldstream Guards which was founded by General Monk, a Devon man from Merton, Nr Okehampton.

As far as I know, there is no memorial to William Stanlake in Halwill. Nor is there any memorial to Lieutenant Gordon Charles Steele RN, who won his VC at Kronstadt, Russia in 1919. Steele was born in Exeter on November 1 1892, and died at Winkleigh, near Okehampton. on January 4 1981.

Lest we forget.

J W Reid

Limehayes Road

Okehampton