Alfred J. Askin

1929 – 29 July 2005 · Founder of this website

Alfred J. Askin at his desk, with the window and rooftops of Derby behind him

Alf, as he liked to be known, founded this website in 2000 and filled it, entry by entry, with everything he could discover about every holder of the Victoria Cross.

Alf was born in 1929. He joined the Royal Air Force and was stationed at RAF St Athan in the Vale of Glamorgan.

More of Alf's story will follow here as the family gathers photographs and memories.

Many a weekend would find him somewhere in the country photographing a grave or a memorial, or reading in the Admiralty Library. He gathered around 250 books, thousands of newspaper cuttings and a huge correspondence, and he answered the hundreds of e-mails, letters and telephone calls that reached him every month from families, researchers and regimental associations. He designed and printed citation certificates for VC holders' families. He was very proud of his work.

Alf died peacefully at 5.20 pm on Friday 29 July 2005 with his family at his bedside, before he could finish putting all 1,352 holders on the site. This rebuilt site completes the register in his memory, keeping every one of his 1,251 entries exactly as he wrote them.

It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Alf Askin, the founder of this site. He died peacefully at 5.20pm Friday 29th July 2005 with his family at his bedside.

He loved gathering the information for this web site and helping anyone who needed it regards recipients of the Victoria Cross. He had gained many friends through his work on this site and thought dearly of them all. A special mention has to be made regards Adrian, a gentleman who my Dad had the greatest respect for and he thought of him as a very dear friend.

We hope to continue my Dad's work and in time gain the experience my Father had in this field. This is surely a fitting tribute for all his hard work. Hopefully this site will remain in his memory and I thank you all for best wishes sent during his illness.

God Bless You All

Andrée Askin, 2005

The VC website is far from over. His dream was to list as much information as possible on the Victoria Cross holders, and this will be carried on by Rhys (his grandson) and the rest of the family.

Rhys Adams, 2005

Alf's last visit

In April 2005 Alf made a final trip to Portsmouth and the Royal Naval Museum with his grandsons Rhys and Jack, Rhys's ex-partner Samantha and his great-grandson Charlie. His photographs from the National Memorial Arboretum and of the graves he visited are in the galleries.

Keeping his work alive

Alf's original site noted that donations for refurbishing VC graves could be made to the Magnolia Trust. Today the Victoria Cross Trust restores VC graves across the country, and you can help keep Alf's research online by sponsoring a page.

Explore Alf's register → See Alf's original website →

The site exactly as Alf left it in 2005 — frames, yellow pages and all — is preserved at old.victoriacross.co.uk.