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TALK: Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC (right) with staff, students and a colleague

VICTORIA CROSS hero Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry VC spoke with 100 students at South Thames College in London, as part of the college’s Black History Month celebration.

The event was organised by the college, Wandsworth Borough Council and the Metropolitan Police, South Thames said. Beharry shared his experiences of growing up in the Caribbean, moving from home to home and not having the opportunity to go to school.

He described in depth how he came to receive the Victoria Cross from the Queen.

The soldier was awarded the Victoria Cross in 2005 for twice saving members of his unit from ambushes in Iraq.
Beharry, who has overcome horrific injuries, told students: “When I first came to the UK, I dropped out of college. I was dealing drugs, drinking and smoking. I turned my life around and now I am the only living British solider still serving in the Army to have been awarded the Victoria Cross. I have been through a lot, but meeting the Queen was one of the scariest days of my life.”