Racism stopped Tull from getting award
Thursday 01 November 2012
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EmailThe official reason why Walter Tull was not awarded the Military Cross was not because his father was from outside Britain (Time to revive the story of forgotten hero Walter Tull, M Star October 23). It was because he was dead and the Military Cross could not be awarded posthumously at the time.
But this excuse put forward is in fact completely wrong.
Walter Tull was recommended for a Military Cross for action in Italy, which he survived. The recommendation was then sat on for eight months until he was killed in action in France. Bear in mind the normal turnaround time for awarding the Military Cross and other military medals was one to three months.
After his death, Tull was promptly awarded a posthumous Mention in Despatches, a low-level award which would have barely been noticed when listed in the London Gazette.
The excuse that Tull couldn't be awarded the Military Cross because he was dead is an ongoing lie because he survived the action in Italy for which he was recommended the award.
I can see no reason for him not receiving this award other than the then "war department" not wanting him to appear among the list of those receiving a Military Cross in the propaganda magazines of the day.
At the time such papers contained pages full of pictures of "heroic sons of the lion" and suchlike headings featuring recipients of medals.
Tull appearing there would have exposed his promotion to officer, contrary to military regulations that "no member of the negro or mulatto race" could exercise command.
John Cope
Runcorn
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