A statement about items in the Essex Regiment Collection
In late 2023, a routine inspection of items in the Essex Regiment Museum collection, housed at Chelmsford Museum, discovered that two of its Victoria Crosses could not be found. It is not unusual for museums and galleries to possess replicas of valuable artefacts, and replicas of these VCs were located, but not the original medals awarded to Sergeant William McWheeney in 1857 and Lieutenant Francis Parsons posthumously in 1900.
The museum immediately informed the Essex Regiment Museum and began a search for the originals. A report was also made to Essex Police. There is currently no evidence to suggest that the original crosses have been stolen, but Chelmsford Museum remains in regular contact with the police and will pass on any further information that comes to light as part of its search. The descendants of those awarded the medals have also been contacted. The replica medals are currently on public display in Chelmsford Museum.
Since the discovery, curators have conducted a fingertip search of the Essex Regiment Museum collection and continued to search for the original crosses as they carry out work on a long-term collections management project. The project, which began during the museum’s first lockdown closure in 2020, aims to improve documentation of Essex Regiment Museum and Chelmsford Museum’s combined collections of around 100,000 objects.
With relatively large collections for museums of their size and a small team of curators, this project will take some time. Until this is completed, or unless new information becomes available, the museum cannot confirm whether the medals have been lost or are simply located elsewhere within the collections.
Museum collections are constantly moving as part of normal day-to-day activities and, with large numbers of items acquired over many decades, objects may occasionally be unaccounted for or sometimes found in a different location to that recorded. This is a common challenge that many museums are currently facing, and can be due to data transfer faults, delays in processing large numbers of items, or human error.
Marc De’ath, Chelmsford City Culture Services Manager said:
“We understand that many people will be worried about this news, which is a concern shared by the team at Chelmsford Museum. We are determined to do everything in our power to recover the crosses; our curatorial staff have been working hard to search for them and this work will continue for as long as it takes. Although there will inevitably be some speculation about this news, I would urge people not to jump to conclusions. At this stage, we are keeping an open mind about what has happened; there is currently no evidence to suggest that these medals have been stolen and staff at the museum are not under suspicion.
“Work to improve management of the museum’s collections is a key priority. It is slow, painstaking work that we want to make sure we do properly, and this will take some time for our small team to complete. We will work closely with the Essex Regiment Museum and Essex Police as we continue our search, and we would urge anyone with information that may be relevant to get in touch with the police.”
Marc De’ath, Chelmsford City Culture Services Manager
Victoria Crosses FAQs
Our curatorial team first discovered that the Victoria Crosses could not be found in September 2023, during a routine inspection.
The Essex Regiment Museum was immediately informed, and a report was filed with Essex Police.
Based on recent inspections of the crosses, we have been reviewing a period between 2012 and September 2023.
There is currently no evidence to suggest that the original crosses have been stolen, but Chelmsford Museum remains in regular contact with the police and will pass on any further information that comes to light as part of its search.
If you have any information relating to the crosses that may be relevant, please contact Essex Police.
Yes, both crosses were recorded on the museum’s collection database.
Items such as this are difficult to accurately value, with their true worth dependent on what collectors in the industry may be willing to pay to acquire them. However, recent estimations suggest each Victoria Cross may be valued in the region of £250,000–£300,000.
The two medals were awarded to Sergeant William McWheeney in 1857, for his service during the Siege of Sevastopol, and to Lieutenant Francis Parsons posthumously in 1900, for acts of bravery during the Battle of Paardeberg. Both were of the 44th (East Essex) Regiment – later the 1st Battalion of The Essex Regiment.
Chelmsford Museum employs a team of four curators, one of whom is part-funded by the Essex Regiment Museum. The team have all been working vigilantly to help locate the crosses through a fingertip search of the Essex Regiment Museum collection and through the ongoing work to improve documentation.
Chelmsford Museum and the Essex Regiment Museum’s collections are unusually large for museums of their size, with an estimated 100,000 objects in total.
With large collections built over many decades, some objects are yet to be catalogued on the museum database. This is common in museums across the country with large numbers of objects and limited curatorial resource.
The curatorial team is currently working on a long-term project to improve documentation of the museum collections. As part of this they’re working towards all collection objects being accurately catalogued on the museum database. This project will take some years for the museum’s small curatorial team to work through.
There are currently no other unlocated objects in the Essex Regiment Museum collection. Curators have processed an estimated 11,000 objects so far as part of the ongoing collection management project and these objects are all confirmed as accounted for. Work will continue to update records for all of the Essex Regiment Museum’s estimated 50,000 collection objects.
Chelmsford Museum does not currently have a list of ‘missing’ items but has begun the process of identifying instances of unlocated and uncatalogued items as part the wider project to improve documentation of the collection.
The following steps have already been taken to locate the items:
- Reported to Essex Police.
- Conducted a fingertip search of the Essex Regiment Museum collections store.
- Registered the items with The Art Loss Register.
The following work will continue over the coming months:
- Searching for the crosses as the long-term collection management project continues.
- Monitoring the art market.
- Liaising with Essex Police and Essex Regiment Museum regarding any further developments.
With initial enquiries now completed, we are in a position to share this news publicly as the search for the crosses continues.
If you think you have information which may be of interest, you can let Essex Police know by submitting a report on their website or by using the online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am–9pm.
Visit the Essex Police website to find out more about their online reporting services. Please quote reference number 42/15078/24.
Alternatively you can call 101.
If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity @Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.
In January 2016 Chelmsford Museum experienced a theft of 14 Roman gold coins, found in Good Easter and dating to around 400AD. The theft was announced by Chelmsford Museum and publicised in national and local press at the time. It followed a warning some months prior of “an imminent threat of thefts of collections across the UK” by a group who had made “reconnaissance visits”. A police investigation was opened and later closed due to insufficient evidence. The coins have not been recovered.