Lord Ashcroft has ripped up a clause in his will to gift the world’s largest collection of gallantry medals - valued at £70 million - to the Imperial War Museum (IWM) after it announced it was closing the wing displaying them.
The move - announced just weeks before VE Day - will see The Lord Ashcroft Gallery housing the gongs closed from June 1.
It means the public will no longer be able to see a glittering array of military decorations awarded to some of the UK’s bravest soldiers for outstanding acts of valour.
The gallery was opened at IWM in London in 2010, named in Lord Ashcroft's honour, after he made a £5 million donation. It housed a personal collection of medals, including 200 Victoria Crosses (VC) and a smaller number of George Crosses (GC).
The Express was told he learned of the decision while he was in Ukraine speaking to hero soldiers on the frontline.
A source close to the 78-year-old former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party, whose hero father Eric took part in the D-Day landings, said: “It is thought the museum wants to move in a more contemporary direction. It seems they do not share Michael’s incredible passion for history and what it means to the country. To say it is a shame is something of an understatement.”
Questions now remain over the fate of the carefully-curated collection when the gallery closes just five days before the 81st anniversary of D-Day where Lieutenant Ashcroft waded ashore with The South Lancashire Regiment.
In a statement, the museum said its own, smaller, collection of VC and GC medals would be "displayed across our UK branches [and] integrated within galleries that tell the full story of the conflicts in which of these acts of bravery occurred".
But it will not feture the full display, built up by Lord Ashcroft buying medals at public auctions or from private sellers since 1986 for posterity. After the gallery closes in three months, each will have to be individually catalogued and move to a secure location and placed in a vault.
It means that shortly after the nation comes together to mark VE Day on May 8, which marks the end of war in Europe in the Eastern Front, the full collection awarded to British bravehearts including Christopher Finney, the youngest ever GC recipient, will be under lock and key.
Mr Finney, 40, formerly of the Household Cavalry and chairman of the VC and GC Association, received his after being wounded rescuing comrades from US friendly fire in Iraq in 2003.
He said: "I think the general feeling is just one of disappointment. It would be awful if they [the recipients] are forgotten from our collective consciousness."
Lord Ashcroft's collection includes the Victoria Cross awarded to George Maling for heroic feats during the First World War as a medical officer with the 12th Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
On September 25, 1915 near Fauquissart, France, Lieutenant Maling worked for more 24 hours collecting and treating more than 300 men in the open, under heavy shell fire.
He was temporarily stunned by the bursting of a large high-explosive shell which wounded his only assistant and killed several soldiers he was tending. A second shell covered him and his instruments with debris, but he continued single-handedly.
The hero was mentioned in despatches and promoted to Captain in 1916. He returned to the UK and served in the Military Hospital in Grantham, later joining the 34th Field Ambulance of the 11th (Northern) Division, before selflessly serving again in France for two years. He died on July 9, 1929 aged 40.
The gallery is being closed to make way for new displays exploring post-Second World War conflicts, like the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan, which are "less well represented”.
A museum spokesman said: "IWM London has proudly displayed Victoria Crosses and George Crosses since 1968, and we remain committed to sharing these stories of the greatest acts of bravery and sacrifice in defence of our nation with the public."
One visitor said: “I sense a woke agenda here. Lord knows the US would go nuts for such an important collection.”
Speaking exclusively to the Express, Lord Ashcroft said: "It would be an understatement to say that I am not happy with the whole way that this episode has been handled by the IWM.
"After paying some £5 million to create the new gallery in 2010 and loaning the IWM the largest collection of VCs in the world, I think that I deserved to be treated with more courtesy and respect.
"However, I have been heartened by the public's response to this announcement. Everyone I speak to, including decorated war veterans, say the decision is plain wrong. They say the closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery will be the nation's loss."
The entrepreneur and philanthropist added: "The Lord Ashcroft Gallery was opened by HRH the Princess Royal in 2010 and has displayed my collection of some 230 VCs and George Crosses, along with a number of VCs and GCs either owned by or lent to the IWM.
"I not only agreed to loan my collection but I also paid more than £5 million to create a spacious gallery for the medals and associated memorabilia. Now, my sincere hope is that those who have not visited the gallery so far will do so over the next three months before it is too late. I would love nothing better than the gallery to go out on a high in terms of visitor numbers."
Victory over Japan Day on August 15 is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered, effectively bringing the Second World War to an end.
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