A PAVING stone to commemorate Salisbury's only Victoria Cross winner will be unveiled next week.

The commemorative stone will be unveiled on Tuesday (September 27) at the Guildhall Square War Memorial and celebrates the achievements of Lt Col Adlam, who received the Victoria Cross medal for gallantry during World War One.

It comes as part of a campaign launched by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2013 to lay stones of the birthplace of every recipient of the Victoria Cross over the four year period of the centenary of WWI.

Salisbury City Council submitted a planning application to Wiltshire Council asking permission for the stone to be laid.

A decision on the planning proposal has not yet been made, despite plans for the stone to be installed next week.

The cross is the British and Commonwealth's highest award for gallantry and can be awarded to all ranks. Only 1,355 awards have been given since 1855 and about a third of these were during the First World War.

Lt Col Tom Edwin Adlam VC was born in Salisbury on October 21,1893 and attended St. Martin’s Primary School and Bishop’s Wordsworth School.

Adlam joined the Territorial Army in 1912. When war broke out in 1914 Tom was called up into the Army and posted to India.

After working his way through the ranks he became a sergeant and when stationed at Quetta he applied for a commission as he wanted to see active service. This was granted and he was sent back to England to train. After a course in bombing instruction he joined the 7th Bedfordshire Regiment as a Second Lieutenant in November 1915.

On the morning of September 28, 1916 Adlam found himself leading an attack on the German held trenches defending Schwaben Redoubt. Adlam was awarded the VC by King George V "for most conspicuous bravery".

In 1922 Adlam helped unveil Salisbury’s War Memorial outside the Guildhall. He died on May 28, 1975 aged 81 years old.

The commemorative stone will be unveiled by the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire and members of the Adlam family during an event led by the Mayor of Salisbury, Cllr Derek Brown.

The unveiling will take place at the War Memorial at around 11am on Tuesday and members of the public are encouraged to attend. The event will be followed by a private reception in the Guildhall.

For more information on Lt Col Tom Adlam and the VC paving stone please visit www.salisburycitycouncil.gov.uk.