Charles Augustus Goodfellow

Charles Augustus Goodfellow VC CB

Lieutenant-General Charles Augustus Goodfellow VC CB (31 May 1835 – 1 September 1915) was a British Army officer of the Royal Engineers whose courage during the Indian campaigns earned him the Victoria Cross, the British Empire’s highest award for gallantry.

Commissioned into the Royal Engineers, Goodfellow served in India during the turbulent years following the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After campaigning with General Sir Hugh Rose’s Central India Field Force, he took part in operations against the Wagher rebels on the island of Beyt in the Gulf of Kutch. On 6 October 1859, during a determined assault on the enemy’s fortified position, he saw a soldier lying under intense enemy fire near the walls of the fort. Without hesitation, Goodfellow ran forward through heavy musketry and carried the man back to safety. Although he discovered that the soldier had already died, his fearless attempt to save a comrade’s life was recognised as an act of extraordinary gallantry.

His Victoria Cross was announced in The London Gazette on 16 April 1863 and presented later that year at Mhow, India. Goodfellow continued to serve with distinction throughout his career, including during the Abyssinian Expedition of 1867–68, where he was Mentioned in Despatches. In recognition of his long and distinguished service, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) before retiring as a Lieutenant-General in 1889.

Goodfellow spent his retirement in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, where he died on 1 September 1915 at the age of 80. He is buried in Leamington Spa Cemetery. His Victoria Cross group is preserved in the Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham, where it stands as a lasting tribute to an officer whose devotion to duty and selfless bravery embodied the finest traditions of the British Army.