A new £100,000 project has just been announced to restore graves across Yorkshire belonging to First World War Victoria Cross heroes – and one is in Ilkley. The scheme aims to restore 16 regional graves in total in need of repair; the others are in Hull, York, Doncaster, Sheffield, Royston, Leeds, Huddersfield and Dewsbury. Headstones will be cleaned or replaced. The graves of a further 10 soldiers born in the county but buried elsewhere will also be restored.Communities Secretary and former Bradford Council leader Eric Pickles said: “An entire generation of men fought for Britain’s freedom in the First World War and all fought valiantly. But for hundreds of those men their bravery was of such an exceptional nature they were bestowed with the highest military award, the Victoria Cross.”