Charles Jarvis (VC)

Charles Alfred Jarvis
Born	29 March 1881 Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
Died	19 November 1948 (aged 67) Dundee, Scotland
Buried at	Cupar Cemetery, Fife
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1900 - 1917
Rank	Corporal
Unit	Black Watch Royal Engineers
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Victoria Cross

Charles Alfred Jarvis VC (29 March 1881 - 19 November 1948) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

In civilian life, Jarvis was a metalworker and a member of the Walthamstow Branch of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers.^[1]

He was 33 years old, and a lance-corporal in the 57th Field Company, Royal Engineers, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC (the first VC of the war).

Only three weeks into the war on 23 August 1914 at Jemappes, Belgium, Lance-Corporal Jarvis worked for 1½ hours under heavy fire, in full view of the enemy and finally succeeded in firing charges for the demolition of a bridge. He was wounded in the process.

In 1915 he returned to Britain and was presented with his medal at Buckingham Palace. He was later promoted to second corporal and corporal before being discharged from the Army in 1917. He went on to work at the Naval Dockyard at Portsmouth.

Footnotes

1. ^ Monthly Journal and Report of the Amalgamated Society of Engineers, December 1914

References

• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• The Sapper VCs (Gerald Napier, 1998)
• Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
• VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)

External links

• Royal Engineers Museum Sappers VCs
• Location of grave and VC medal (Fife)
• Charles Alfred Jarvis at Find-A-Grave
• Lance-Corporal Charles Jarvis (biography)

Persondata
Name	Jarvis, Charles
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	29 March 1881
Place of birth	Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
Date of death	19 November 1948
Place of death	Dundee, Scotland