Farmer turned war hero
Captain Charles Hazlett Upham was the only person to be awarded two Victoria Crosses (VC) during World War II and the only combat solider to have won two VC medals.
Born in Christchurch on September 21, 1908, Upham was educated at the local Christ’s College and Canterbury Agricultural College at Lincoln. Before the war he was a farm manager and then farm valuer before enlisting in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force at the age of 30 in 1939.
Upham was posted to the 20th Canterbury-Otago Battalion. He was quickly promoted to temporary Lance Corporal, then to Sergeant before sailing to Egypt.
First VC
Upham was renowned for combining controlled courage with quick-thinking resourcefulness. While most medals for bravery are awarded for a single act, Upham’s first citation was for nine days of skill, leadership and evident heroism.
In March 1941 Upham's battalion left for Greece and then withdrew to Crete, and it was here that he was wounded in the action — from 22-30 May 1941 — that gained him his first VC.
His display of courage included: destroying numerous enemy posts; rescuing a wounded man under fire; penetrating deep behind enemy lines and killing twenty-two German soldiers on the way to leading out an isolated platoon. This was all after being blown over by a mortar shell, and with a shrapnel wound in his shoulder and a bullet in his foot.
The incident that exemplified Upham’s courage was when two German soldiers trapped him alone on the fringes of an olive grove. This occurred while he was on his way to warn other troops that they were about to be cut off. While his platoon watched a helpless distance away, the two German soldiers fired at him. With any movement potentially fatal, he feigned death and with calculated coolness waited for the enemy soldiers to approach. With one arm lame in a sling, he used the crook of a tree to support his rifle and shoot the first assailant, then reloaded with one hand, and shot the second, who was so close as to fall against the barrel of Upham’s rifle.
When informed of the award, his first response was: "It's meant for the men."
Second VC
Charles Upham’s second citation was for his part in the July 1942 attack on Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, where his division was stranded after armoured support never arrived.
Upham and his company then eased the allies struggle, who were battling to hold the line, and attacked the German and Italian strong points, an act which has been described as savage. Upham was alone responsible for destroying not only several guns and vehicles, but managed to put a German tank out of service while again forward position and saving his wounded men’s lives.
Eventually Upham agreed to be removed to the regimental aid post but immediately returned to his men after all his wounds were properly dressed. After most of his company was slaughtered by mortar and artillery fire, Upham and his six remaining members held their position, until most of them unable to move through injuries, were overrun and captured by the enemy forces.
Charles Upham was typical to his nickname, "Pug". Several times he attempted to escape before eventually being branded "dangerous" by the Germans and held in the prison, Fortress Colditz.
After the War
When Colditz was liberated by American forces, most of the inmates made their own way home immediately. Upham though broke into a German armoury, helped himself to weaponry, and went out hunting Germans.
Upham was keen to see action again, but was instead sent to Britain where he was reunited with Molly McTamney, whom he married in 1945. He returned to NZ in early September, and Molly followed him in December.
King George VI had invested Upham with his first Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on 11 May 1945. When the recommendation was made for a second VC, the King remarked to Major-General Howard Kippenberger that a bar to the cross would be "very unusual indeed" and inquired firmly: "Does he deserve it?" Kippenberger replied: "In my respectful opinion, sir, Upham has won the Victoria Cross several times over".
After the war Upham returned to NZ, and the community raised £10,000 to buy him a farm. However, he declined and the money went into the C. H. Upham Scholarship for children of ex-servicemen to study at Lincoln College or the University of Canterbury.
He obtained a war rehabilitation loan and bought a farm in Hundalee, an isolated area in North Canterbury. It is rumoured that he would never let German machinery or tools to be used on his farm.
Although somewhat hampered by his injuries, he became a successful farmer and served on the board of governors of Christ’s College for nearly 20 years. He and Molly had three daughters, and lived on their farm until January 1994, when Upham's poor health forced them to retire to Christchurch where he died on 22nd November, 1994. His funeral was conducted with full military honours and he was buried in the graveyard of St Paul's Church, Papanui, Christchurch.
A movie on the life of New Zealand's greatest war hero is currently in pre production.
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