Other Forces

Modest hero - Charles Upham, VC and Bar.

Government of New Zealand.

Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force, the only WW2 soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice, and of three twice-VC awarded men in the history of the decoration. Upham worked prewar as a sheep farmer and a technical civil servant (agricultural valuer) for the New Zealand government. Joining the NZ Army as a private, he rose to the rank of captain, winning his two VCs in Crete and Egypt. He subsequently went through the German PoW system, ending up in Colditz due to his enthusiasm for escape attempts. When Colditz was liberated, he opted to join an American unit, hoping for further combat employment. However (perhaps influenced by the legacy of his many wounds and injuries) the Americans sent him to the UK to be reunited with his fiancée, who was working there as a nurse. Having married the lady in the UK, Upham returned to New Zealand, where he settled down to life as a sheep farmer, family man, and something of a pillar of civil society. In spite of his war-related disabilities, he survived to the good age of 86, dying in 1994. I do not usually recommend Wikipedia, but in this case the entry on Upham is well worth a read, including as it does the citations for his two VC awards. A remarkable soldier, and a remarkable man. In appreciation, JR.