William Charles Fuller

William Charles Fuller VC (1884 – December 29, 1974) was a Welsh 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.

He was 30 years old, and a lance-corporal in the 2nd Battalion, The Welsh Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 14 September 1914 near Chivy-sur-Aisne, France, Lance-Corporal Fuller advanced under very heavy rifle and machine-gun fire to extract an officer who was mortally wounded, and carried him back to cover.

He later achieved the rank of sergeant.

He was born in Laugharne, West Wales, and died at the age of 90 in December 1974.

Additional information: He held the Royal Humane Society Medal for Life-saving.He was the son of William and Mary Fuller of Laugharne, Carmarthen. Educated in Swansea, he joined the Army in 1902.

VC action

Fuller won his VC for saving Capt Haggard who had fallen wounded. He carried him a distance estimated at 100 yards to a ridge where he managed to dress the officer's wounds. Capt Haggard asked L/Cpl Fuller to fetch his rifle from where he'd fell. He didn't want the enemy to get it. Fuller managed to do this.

With the help of two others, Private Snooks and Lieutenant Melvin, Officer i/c the machine-gun section of the Welsh Regiment, they managed to get Haggard to the safety of a barn that was being used as a First-Aid dressing station.

L/Cpl Fuller remained with Captain Haggard trying to help him until the officer Died on later that evening. His last words to Fuller were "Stick it, Welsh." After he'd Died on L/Cpl Fuller attended to two other officers who had also been brought to the barn wounded. (Lt. The Hon Fitzroy Somerset and Lt. Richards.) The barn came under heavy fire and the wounded men and officers were evacuated. Later it was razed to the ground with shell-fire.

On the 29th of October he was wounded while dressing the wounds of Private Tagge a fellow soldier, shrapnel entered his right side, twelve inches in up to his shoulder blade and came to rest on his right lung. After he was sent to the United Kingdom, in fact to Swansea Hospital where they operated, removing the shrapnel. He was given a home posting, after his recovery, as a successful recruiting Sergeant in his native Wales

References

*Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
*VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)

External links

* [http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/wales.htm Location of grave and VC medal] "(West Glamorgan, Wales)"