Noel Godfrey Chavasse

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Noel Godfrey Chavasse
Passchendaele salient, Belgium
Buried
Brandhoek New Military Cemetery
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchBritish Army
Years of service1913–1917
RankCaptain
UnitRoyal Army Medical Corps
Battles/wars
Awards
Mentioned in Despatches
RelationsFrancis Chavasse (father)
Christopher Chavasse (brother)
Other workOlympic athlete

medical doctor, Olympic athlete, and British Army officer from the Chavasse family. He is one of three people to be awarded a Victoria Cross twice,[1] the others being Arthur Martin-Leake and Charles Upham
.

The

German line, where he found three men and continued throughout the night under a constant rain of sniper bullets and bombing. He performed similar heroics in the early stages of the offensive at Passchendaele in August 1917 to gain a second VC and become the most highly decorated British officer of the First World War. He died of wounds suffered at Passchendaele in 1917.[2]

Childhood

Noel Godfrey Chavasse was the younger of

typhoid
in their first year of life.

Chavasse was educated at

Anglican Bishopric of Liverpool. The move was not without regrets as Liverpool during this time was one of the busiest seaports in the Empire and also had a great deal of religious turmoil in progress. The family moved to the Bishop's Palace at 19 Abercromby Square, Liverpool. Noel and Christopher went to school at Liverpool College where they excelled at sports from the start. Their academic progress was initially rather slower but as they grew older, both did well until in 1904, both were admitted to Trinity College, Oxford.[3]

University and early professional career

In 1907, Noel graduated with

Olympic Games in the 400 metres.[5] Noel finished third in his heat while Christopher finished second, but only the heat winners progressed to the semi-finals.[6]

In January 1909, Noel joined the Oxford University

orthopaedic surgery
.

On returning to Liverpool, Chavasse resumed his connection with the Grafton Street

Roman Catholic clergy disturbed him.[7]

In January 1912, Chavasse passed his final medical examination, and was awarded the university's premier medical prize, the Derby Exhibition, in March that year. On 22 July 1912, he registered as a doctor with the General Medical Council. His first placement was at the Royal Southern Hospital in Liverpool,[3] initially until 31 March 1913, and then for a further six months. He then became house surgeon to Robert Jones, his former tutor.

Military career and decorations

In early 1913, after discussions with some of his fellow doctors, Chavasse applied for and was accepted by the

Lieutenant-Colonel W. Nicholl, the commanding officer
. As an officer in a Territorial unit, Chavasse now had to attend to both his civilian and military duties.

During the

First World War, Chavasse was a captain with the Royal Army Medical Corps, British Army attached to the 1/10th (Scottish) Battalion of the King's (Liverpool Regiment), part of the 55th (West Lancashire) Division
.

Chavasse was awarded the

Mentioned in Despatches
.

Victoria Cross

Medals of Noel and Christopher Chavasse. Noel's medals are top row. Christopher's medals are bottom row.

Chavasse was first awarded the 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 read:[11]

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.

Bar to Victoria Cross

Chavasse's headstone in Brandhoek New Military Cemetery.

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 and read:[12]

War Office, 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., attd. L'pool R.

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.

Chavasse died of his wounds in Brandhoek and is buried at Brandhoek New Military Cemetery, Vlamertinge.[13] His military headstone carries, uniquely, a representation of two Victoria Crosses.[3]

Chavasse was the only man to be awarded both a Victoria Cross and Bar in the First World War, and one of only three men ever to have achieved this distinction.[3]

Personal life

Noel's memorial at the Chavasse family grave at Bromsgrove

At the time of his death, Chavasse was engaged to one of his cousins, Frances Gladys Ryland Chavasse (1893–1962), daughter of his uncle

mentioned in despatches 1945 at Monte Cassino, Italy, and killed in 1962 in an accident in France while crossing the road.[14]

Noel's nephew – Christopher Chavasse's son – was named in his honour and served as an aide to Bernard Montgomery, as well as being awarded the Military Cross in the Second World War.

Commemorations

Noel Chavasse Memorial on display at the Army Medical Services Museum

Chavasse is believed to be commemorated by more

UK National Inventory of War Memorials
.

Chavasse's medals, which had been left by his family to

Lord Ashcroft for around £1.5 million, a world record price.[15] The medals, along with others, are displayed in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum.[15]

Christopher Maude Chavasse (an Olympic athlete and later Bishop of Rochester), and Noel Godfrey Chavasse.[16]

A hospital ward is named after him at the Walton Centre in Liverpool.

There are two World War One Victoria Cross paving stones (each depicting a pair of crosses) dedicated to Chavasse in Oxford: one outside St Peter's College and one near Magdalen College School.

A bronze memorial (the 'Liverpool Heroes Memorial') commemorating Chavasse and another fifteen Liverpool-born Victoria Cross recipients has been erected at Abercromby Square in Liverpool, sculpted by Tom Murphy.

In 2017, Noel Chavasse was featured on a £5 coin (issued in silver and gold) in a six-coin set commemorating the centenary of the First World War produced by the Royal Mint.[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Olympians Who Were Killed or Missing in Action or Died as a Result of War". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  2. Oxford Times, first published Thursday 15 June 2006 A lesson of history[permanent dead link
    ]
  3. ^
    Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 12 September 2008
  4. ^ Bebbington, David. (2014). Mister Brownrigg's Boys Archived 1 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine: Magdalen College School and The Great War. London: Pen and Sword Books.
  5. ^ "Noel Godfrey Chavasse". Olympedia. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  6. ^ "Noel Chavasse". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  7. ISBN 9781473813113
    .
  8. ^ "No. 28737". The London Gazette. 15 July 1913. p. 5061.
  9. ^ "No. 29438". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 January 1916. pp. 576–577.
  10. ^ "No. 29304". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 September 1915. p. 9335.
  11. ^ "No. 29802". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 October 1916. p. 10394.
  12. ^ "No. 30284". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 September 1917. p. 9531.
  13. ^ "Casualty details—Chavasse, Noel Godfrey". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  14. ^ "Person Page".
  15. ^ a b Alderson, Andrew (21 November 2009). "Lord Ashcroft pays record price for 'ultimate' Victoria Cross". Telegraph. Retrieved 22 November 2009.
  16. ^ "Chavasse Park, John Lennon Monument - Liverpool ONE". Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
  17. ^ "Five Pounds 2017 Noel Chavasse". Retrieved 3 September 2020.

Further reading

External links

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