My grandfather was a brave character. He enlisted in World War I and when he gave his age of 16 years the enlisting officer told him to walk around the table and come back and say he was 17. He was then accepted into the Irish Fusiliers and subsequently shipped via Folkestone to France and the killing fields of World War 1. When he returned to his village after the war had ended he hardly ever spoke of what he had seen. Perhaps, the horror could not be shared with family and friends, it had to just be endured. He seemed to regard the world differently as if fear of death had been erased on those blood-soaked muddy fields.
He was mentioned in dispatches and his photograph and the message from Churchill are on the wall here in my parent’s home. He was shot in the arm and badly wounded but was indomitable and even volunteered to go out on extra missions from the trenches. This was no small thing as often the commanding officer would a handgun ready to shoot those who wouldn’t go over the top, such was the fear felt in those wretched mud holes. On emerging from the shelter of the trench, too often, young soldiers were simply walking into deadly machine-gun fire as this article describes.
“On 24 June 1916 1500 British guns began a week-long bombardment to smash German defences on the Somme before the infantry attacked. Many of the shells they fired, however, were duds and when the infantry advanced it soon became clear that the artillery bombardment had failed. German troops emerged and gunned down advancing British infantry, killing 20,000 on 1 July alone.”
20,000 in one day, no wonder soldiers didn’t want to go over the top into a hail of bullets! In the battle of the Somme, the loss was even higher with 60,000 British troops dying in one day. Several awards are given to those who show exceptional bravery on the battlefield in the face of the enemy. I just had no idea how many there were It turns out that being mentioned in dispatches is one of the lowest awards given and at the other end of the scale is the Victoria Cross (VC) which is one of the rarest. This medal was introduced in January 1856 during the Crimean war and has only been awarded 1358 times. You need to do something pretty spectacular in order to get the VC,
“The VC is awarded for most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or preeminent act of valour or self sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.”
That degree of bravery can get you killed. For example, a quarter of all the Victoria crosses given during World War I were posthumously awarded. Any VCs medals made since 1914 have come from two antique Chinese bronze cannons (captured during Opium Wars in the 1840s). At present, there are only 85 medals left. However, don’t worry, this supply will not run out soon as only 15 VCs have been awarded in the last 76 years.
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. Quite recently one VC has been sold for half a million pounds. So, it is startling to learn that Captain Noel Chavasse won two Victory crosses during World War 1. This is a unique achievement even among the elite of VC holders. Even before being awarded his VC he had already been previously mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Military Cross. It is surely worth knowing more about this unusually brave man and just why he received these awards.
He was awarded a VC for his actions on 9 August 1916, at Guillemont, France when he attended to the wounded all day under heavy fire. The full citation was published on 24 October 1916 and reads
"Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse, M.C., M.B., Royal Army Medical Corps.
For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty.
During an attack he tended the wounded in the open all day, under heavy fire, frequently in view of the enemy. During the ensuing night he searched for wounded on the ground in front of the enemy's lines for four hours.
Next day he took one stretcher-bearer to the advanced trenches, and under heavy shell fire carried an urgent case for 500 yards into safety, being wounded in the side by a shell splinter during the journey. The same night he took up a party of twenty volunteers, rescued three wounded men from a shell hole twenty-five yards from the enemy's trench, buried the bodies of two officers, and collected many identity discs, although fired on by bombs and machine guns.
Altogether he saved the lives of some twenty badly wounded men, besides the ordinary cases which passed through his hands. His courage and self-sacrifice, were beyond praise."
Chavasse's second award was made during the period 31 July to 2 August 1917, at Wieltje, Belgium; the full citation was published on 14 September 1917
"His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of a Bar to the Victoria Cross to Capt. Noel Godfrey Chavasse, V.C., M.C., late R.A.M.C.,
For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when in action.
Though severely wounded early in the action whilst carrying a wounded soldier to the Dressing Station, Capt. Chavasse refused to leave his post, and for two days not only continued to perform his duties, but in addition went out repeatedly under heavy fire to search for and attend to the wounded who were lying out.
During these searches, although practically without food during this period, worn with fatigue and faint with his wound, he assisted to carry in a number of badly wounded men, over heavy and difficult ground.
By his extraordinary energy and inspiring example, he was instrumental in rescuing many wounded who would have otherwise undoubtedly succumbed under the bad weather conditions.
This devoted and gallant officer subsequently died of his wounds."
In another version of the same incident, it was recounted that Noel Chavasse received a blow to the head, from an exploding shell, fracturing his skull. He took off his helmet and bandaged his own wound and then carried on working as a medic treating the wounded. He went on to experience two more head injuries as a result of additional shelling but continued to work arranging for other severely wounded soldiers to be stretchered to safer areas. Meanwhile, he continued to search for wounded soldiers still on the battlefield. On the 2nd of August 1917 he was injured in the stomach by a Shell blast and died on the 4th of August aged only 32.
He is buried in Belgium in the military cemetery and is the only headstone in the world to have two VCs engraved on it.
He did not have a promising beginning. Both he and his twin brother were so small and weak at birth that their baptism had to be delayed. They were very ill with typhoid in their first year of life and as adults were below average height. Noel’s school report of 1897 was not complimentary and refers to him as an ‘Imp of mischief’.
There were another pair of twins in the family May and Marjorie who were born in 1886 would live for over 100 years old. Apart from these two sets of twins, there were three other siblings. When Noel’s father, Francis James Chavasse, was a young man he felt he would never even find a wife because of his hunched back, bad stammer and state of poverty. He went on to marry have seven children and became an eloquent Anglican priest. Later, when the position of Bishop was suggested Francis wrote to a friend doubtfully, "A man with my feeble body, average ability and temperament can hardly be intended by God for such a diocese”. Despite his own misgivings he was appointed as Bishop and served the community well. The family would start each morning with prayers in the chapel and although a fairly remote father Francis had a clear vision of how a home should shape a child’s character. He wrote,
“Every moment which tend to make the home more bright, more orderly more clean and more healthy, above all more full of love … helps to ennoble the privilege and dignity of bringing up little children … and is the greatest factor in the formation of the character“
In fact, his wife must have contributed even more greatly to the atmosphere within the home. It is recorded that,
“The kindness of the whole Chavasse family soon became legendary even among their servants who were taught to read and write by their mother.”
Noel himself described his parent’s home succinctly.
“There was an atmosphere of calmness and integrity in the house, which we took as a matter of course!”
Noel as a teenager provided sporting opportunities, Bible classes and singing lessons for boys in an Industrial School in one of the poorest areas of Liverpool. Even when he subsequently went to Oxford University to study medicine Noel kept up his connection with the school giving up his vacations to help. Noel’s attendance at Trinity College Oxford involved mixing almost exclusively with boys of a public school background but he clearly had the capacity to relate to people of quite different backgrounds. As a qualified doctor, he was travelling in a poor area near the docks and saw a disabled child crawling on the road. Noel stopped and gave the child his card and arranged for the boy to be treated by him at the Royal Southern Hospital. After nine operations the boy was able to walk upright and went on to have a full and active life in the Merchant navy. Both Noel and his twin represented Great Britain in the Olympic Games in the 400 metres. When one reads of such a wonderful character from such a family the loss of such a life becomes even more painful. That is what war does it steals from the world often the very best of us.
PS other siblings of Noel,
Aidan Chavasse served in World War 1 and died in Flanders 1917. “His Brigade-Major (Bernard Paget) considered him to be the bravest man in the Brigade due to his willingness to volunteer for dangerous missions. It was during such a mission to inspect German wire near Sanctuary Wood in July 1917 that he was wounded in the thigh. He sent his patrol back to safety and took cover in a shell hole. Subsequent attempts to find him, including three separate attempts by his brother, were unsuccessful and Aidan was never found.”
Chrstopher Chavasse, Noel’s twin became Bishop of Rochester, was awarded OBE and the Military Cross
Francis Chavasse, was awarded the Military Cross, and became an eye specialist
Marjorie and May (Noel’s twin sisters) volunteered at a convalescent hospital for soldiers. Later May would travel out to France to work at a fully equipped mobile hospital during World War 1 and was mentioned in dispatches. She qualified as a nurse and also served in WW2 as part of Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Military Service. Marjorie worked for Barnardo’s for most of her life.
“Regard man as a mine rich in gems of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its treasures, and enable mankind to benefit therefrom.”
Baháʼu'lláh
