Captain Noel G. Chavasse
U.K. Royal Army Medical Corps
Two time recipient of the Victoria Cross
Captain Noel G. Chavasse was a doctor in the Royal Army Medical Corps whose devotion and courage in the trenches of France would earn him a seat amongst other legends.
During the Battle of Hooge in 1915, Chavasse rescued wounded soldiers in No Man’s Land for over 48 hours until every wounded man was brought to safety. An action that earned him the Military Cross.
On August 9th, 1916, near Guillemont, France, Chavasse once again braved heavy enemy fire to rescue wounded men for another 48 hours, despite being severely wounded by shell fire.
He carried his brothers across 500 yards of hell. At one point, he crawled as close as 25 yards from the German trenches, providing aid all through the night under constant sniper and artillery fire. He would eventually rescue a total of 20 soldiers.
The above action would earn him his FIRST Victoria Cross.
On July 31, 1917, during the fighting in Ypres, Belgium, Chavasse ventured out into No Man’s Land despite taking shrapnel to the head. He rescued more soldiers under enemy MG, Artillery and mustard gas. He continued his rescue efforts until he was hit by an artillery shell. By a miracle, he was still alive and managed to crawl back for half a mile to an aid station in order to get help for the remaining wounded men. Once at the station, he refused evacuation but his injuries were to dire and died in the hospital 2 days later.
His actions would earn him his second Victoria Cross, making him the third man in history to be twice decorated and the most decorated British of officer of WW1.
