Sir, By coincidence, while watching the D-Day ceremonies in Normandy remembering the gallantry of so many men 70 years ago, I came across a catalogue of the paintings which once adorned the walls of the Victoria Cross Gallery in Wantage from 1900-39.

I discovered that it was in 1854, during the Crimean War, that many of the deeds of valour earning the VC had occurred.

The unique collection of 48 paintings by Chevalier L W Desanges, which had been displayed at Crystal Palace, was bought by Lord Wantage and given to Wantage. The former Corn Exchange in the Market Place became the Victoria Cross Gallery until the Second World War, when the paintings were put into store at Wantage foundry.

Many of them were ruined beyond repair, some were given on permanent loan to regiments which could afford to restore them and the urban council restored and kept just one.

It depicted the donor, then Robert James Lindsay, a junior officer of the Scots Fusilier Guards, holding the ‘shot through’ colours on a broken staff, and by ‘example and energy’ restoring order to his regiment’s formation on September 20, 1854, at the battle of Alma. That action and his bravery at Inkerman on November 5 earned him the supreme award for valour.

The collection included 20 others related to VCs from the Crimean War, 21 Indian Mutiny (1857-8), one each from Persia (1857), China (1860) and Kabul-Kandahar (1880).

Lady Wantage gave Wantage a bust (by Sir J E Boehm) of Lord Wantage, who received a first-class Medjidie award from Turkey.

If only we could learn from bravery and wasted lives as deeply as we remember.

Jack Loftin Charlton Village Road Wantage