Whilst it is reasonably well known that four members of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment
have been awarded the Victoria Cross, it is less widely reported that the regiment actually boasted a fifth VC in the
1930s, in the person of Sergeant Tom Steele of the 4th battalion TA.
Steele was born near Oldham in Lancashire. As a young man he had worked as a cotton hand,
until the unhealthy environment in the mills affected his lungs. Prior to the First World War he had joined the Seaforth
Highlanders, and in 1914-15 saw service in France. In 1916 he was serving in Mesopotamia, and was awarded the Victoria Cross
for continuing to operate his maxim gun in the face of withering Turkish fire and after being severely wounded.
After the war he could not settle to civilian life, and refused to exploit his VC for personal
gain. Consequently he was often unemployed. Family tradition had it that a contact he made through the VC Association eventually
found him a position as a member of the permanent staff of the 4th Leicesters, and in the 1930s he took up residence in one
of the houses forming Magazine Square.
He did not serve overseas in the Second World War but was active with the Army Cadet Force,
and later retired to Great Arler Road in the city. He returned to be cared for by relatives in Saddleworth, Yorkshire, a few
weeks before his death in 1976.
