The small throng of family, friends and well-wishers shivered in the cold of an unseasonably blustery June day, gathered around the grave of a man whose deeds once captured the imagination of Worcestershire people.

The soldiers of The Royal Welch Fusiliers were late, delayed by an accident on the M5.

Never the less, no one flinched or faltered in the northerly wind for they were in the presence of a true British hero - Captain Edward William Derrington Bell, one of the first winners of the Victoria Cross and the only VC recipient to be buried in a Worcestershire churchyard.

The soldier's grave in St Mary's Churchyard, Kempsey, had fallen into disrepair but thanks to Midlands Freemasons £10,000 was raised for repairs.

And yesterday, a month of fund-raising came to fruition as the newly restored tomb was dedicated.

Among the numerous guests was one man who had every right to feel proud - Captain Bell's great grandson Richard Hudson. "This is a wonderful day for our family," said Mr Hudson. "My ancestor's regiment - now the Royal Welch fusiliers - has served in Afghanistan and the same regimental ethic applies now as it did when my ancestor served."

Captain Bell won his medal at the Battle of the Alma on September 20, 1854, during the Crimean War. He seized a Russian gun and also took command of his regiment after all his senior officers has been killed or wounded.

Yesterday's service - conducted by the Reverend John Guise - fell on the 150th anniversary of the first investiture of the legendary medal by Queen Victoria on June 26, 1857.

The fund-raising for the restoration project was organised by Granville Angell, a leading Midlands freemason.

Among family members present was Lucy McMillan-Scott of Wick, near Pershore, Captain Bell's great great great granddaughter, who carried her ancestor's medals - including the VC - during and after the ceremony.

She said "I've always known about the courageous actions of my ancestor - obviously the family has always been very proud of him. The ceremony today is a fitting tribute to a brave man."

As the service came to an end, that icy wind dropped and the clouds parted to reveal the sun, a symbolically fitting footnote to the story of one of Worcestershire's bravest sons.