THE family of a Victoria Cross winner who single-handedly took out two enemy machine gun posts say they are ‘very proud’ that he will be honoured with a commemorative centenary stone in his home village.

Private Francis Miles from Clearwell won the award ‘for conspicuous bravery and initiative’ in 1918 at the Battle of the Selle in France.

Remarkably, the Forest miner had already been wounded twice before winning the highest military honour for bravery, including when he was the only survivor of an explosion in a mine that killed some 50 men.

His grandchildren, who live in Milkwall, Bream, Sling, Lydney and Ireland, say they are delighted that his bravery is being remembered again a century on from the First World War.

And villagers have been asked by Newland Parish Council to come up with suggestions of where to site the stone, which is being donated by the Department of Community And Local Government.

Grandson Bill Russell, 83, from Milkwall, said: “We’re very proud of him and the village are too.

“It was truly magnificent what he did, but he never talked about it much at all. He was quiet and humble, a really nice man.

“We think it’s a great idea to mark what he did on the centenary of his bravery.”

He added that the family, who include grandsons Michael Brown from Bream, Brian Martin from Sling, and Chris Taylor from Lydney, have suggested the plaque is sited beside Clearwell’s Cemetery House, where their family used to live, beside the graveyard where Private Miles is buried.

Born on July 19, 1896, the VC winner attended Clearwell village school before working in the local colliery.

When war broke out he enlisted on December 28, 1914, in the 9th Gloucesters, and was sent to France, where he was wounded and hospitalised back to England.

Because of his experience as a miner, he was then attached to the Royal Engineers as a tunneller, but was again wounded in the mine explosion.

Towards the end of the war, he returned to the Gloucesters and joined the 5th Battalion in time to be sent to the Italian Front before being recalled to France.

East of Le Cateau in October 1918, the regiment were given the task of clearing part of the Bois L’Eveque close to a mill, and met with stubborn resistance from several machine gun posts, stalling the advance.

Private Miles’ VC citation said that on October 23, and without any thought for his safety, he single-handedly “went forward under exceptionally heavy fire, located a machine gun, shot the gunner and put the gun out of action.”

It added: “Observing another gun nearby, he again advanced alone, shot the gunner, rushed the gun, and captured the team of eight.

“Finally he stood up and beckoned to his company, who, working on his signals, were enabled to work around the rear of the line and to capture 16 machine guns, one officer, and 50 other ranks.

“It was due to the courage, initiative, and entire disregard of personal safety shown by this very gallant soldier that the company was enabled to advance at a time when any delay would have jeopardised seriously the whole operation.”

Private Miles was invested with his VC by King George V at Buckingham Palace on May 30, 1919.

After the war, he returned to work in the local colliery and joined up again in World War Two, serving with the Pioneer Corps.

His VC and his other medals are held by the Lord Ashcroft VC collection at the Imperial War Museum in London.

Private Miles died on November 8, 1961, aged 65, and is buried in St Peter’s Churchyard, where members of the Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regimental Association gathered to pay tribute to him in 2003.

Seeing the deteriorating condition of his grave and headstone, and with the family’s permission, they commissioned a new stone which was dedicated on May 23, 2004.