Charles Spackman

Rushed the machine gun alone to clear the route for his unit

When German machine-gun fire stopped the leading company of the 1st Battalion, Border Regiment, at Marcoing on 20 November 1917, Sergeant Charles Edward Spackman crossed exposed ground and attacked the position himself. His single-handed rush silenced the gun crew, captured the weapon and opened the advance. The action, fought on the first day of the Battle of Cambrai, earned him the Victoria Cross.

Born in Fulham, London, on 11 January 1891, Spackman was the son of Charles John Spackman, a bricklayer, and Eleanor Charlotte Kempster. He enlisted in the Border Regiment in January 1909. The battalion went to Gallipoli in 1915, where Spackman served through the campaign before its evacuation. By 1917 he was a sergeant in the 1st Battalion, fighting on the Western Front. His Military Medal recognized earlier gallantry.

At Marcoing, the company had no cover from the machine-gun’s fire. Recognizing that a direct advance would fail, Spackman moved forward through the fire, working gradually toward the position. He killed all but one of the crew and then rushed and captured the gun alone. His initiative enabled the company to continue its advance. The official account emphasized both his personal courage and the example he set for the men around him.

Spackman survived the war and remained connected to military service in the Territorial Force. At the outbreak of the Second World War he again served, this time with the Queen Victoria Rifles, a London Territorial unit linked to the King’s Royal Rifle Corps. His later awards included the Defence Medal and War Medal for the Second World War, French Médaille militaire, and medals marking the 1937 and 1953 coronations.

He married Mary Alice in December 1919 and raised a family. During the Second World War he served as a sergeant-major with the King’s Royal Rifle Corps at Swindon. In 1958 he moved to Southampton seeking work, while also receiving his pension. His wife died in January 1969; he died in Southampton that May, aged 78.

Victoria Cross citation

“For most conspicuous bravery when in action the leading company was checked by the heavy fire of a machine-gun mounted in a position which covered the approaches. The ground was absolutely devoid of cover of any description. Sjt. Spackman, realizing the position, and seeing that it would be impossible for troops to advance, went through the fire to attack the gun. Working forward gradually, he succeeded in killing all but one of the gun crew. He then rushed the gun and captured it single-handed, thereby enabling the company to advance. The behaviour of this Non-commissioned Officer was gallant in the extreme, and he set a fine example of courage and devotion to his men.”