During the war - three alumni of St. Bees Grammar School won the Victoria Cross - two were awarded posthumously Captain W.L. Robinson, VC, RAF Lieutenant (later Captain) William Leefe Robinson (Eaglesfield 09-14) was the first man to shoot down a German rigid airship over Britain. On the night of 2 September 1916 he intercepted the German airship S.L.11 (a wooden-framed contemporary of the Zeppelin) and shot it down over Cuffley. For such a notable feat, he was the first Old St. Beghian to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the citation reading - “ For most conspicuous bravery. He attacked an enemy airship under circumstances of great difficulty and danger, and sent it crashing to the ground as a flaming wreck. He had been in the air for more than two hours, and had previously attacked another airship during his flight ” Afterwards Robinson was transferred to the Western Front and in May, 1917 he was taken prisoner by the Germans and was held as a prisoner of war until the end of the war. He made several attempts to escape and his health had deteriorated to such an extent that shortly after his repatriation to Britain he succumbed to Spanish Influenza on 31 December 1918. Captain John Fox-Russell, VC, MC, RAMC Captain John Fox-Russell (Foundation 08-10) was killed in action on 6 November 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign. He had been a most promising pupil at St. Bees, having left to study medicine at the Middlesex Hospital aged only sixteen. At the beginning of the war he was commissioned into the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, but was seconded to complete his medical studies. He joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and was became Medical Officer of a battalion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Egypt. He had already been awarded the Military Cross for his services during the First Battle of Gaza in March, 1917. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for - “ most conspicuous bravery displayed in action. Until he was killed he repeatedly went out to attend the wounded under murderous fire from snipers and machine-guns, and in many cases, when no other means were at hand, carried them in himself, although almost exhausted. He showed the greatest possible degree of valour" Captain R.W.L. Wain, VC Captain Wain (School House 11-14) had been on track to study at Oxford when war was declared in 1914. He promptly joined up through the Public Schools Battalion. Having participated in the opening stages of the Battle of the Somme with the Manchester Regiment, later in the year he transferred to the Tank Corps. In a tank at the beginning of the Battle of Cambrai on 20 November 1917 Wain would posthumously receive the VC for - “ most conspicuous bravery in command of a section of tanks. During an attack the tank in which he was, was disabled by a direct hit, near an enemy strong point which was holding up the attack. Capt. Wain and one man, both seriously wounded, were the only survivors. Though bleeding profusely from his wounds, he refused the attention of stretcher-bearers, rushed from behind the tank with a Lewis gun, and captured the strong point, taking about half the garrison prisoners. Although his wounds were very serious, he picked up a rifle and continued to fire at the retreating enemy until he received a fatal wound in the head. It was due to the valour displayed by Capt. Wain that the infantry were able to advance "
