Charles Hazlitt Upham

Wounded and outnumbered, he led attacks with strong resolve.

Charles Hazlitt Upham was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 21 September 1908. He studied agriculture and worked in farming and valuation before enlisting in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1939. He served with the 20th Battalion.

As a second lieutenant during the Battle of Crete in May 1941, Upham led attacks against defended positions, destroyed machine-gun posts and helped wounded men despite his own injuries. These repeated actions earned the Victoria Cross. In July 1942, now a captain commanding a company at Ruweisat Ridge in Egypt, he again continued fighting after being wounded. His leadership, attacks on enemy positions and determination during the First Battle of El Alamein brought a Bar to the VC, signifying a second award.

Captured in North Africa, Upham repeatedly attempted escape and eventually reached Colditz as a prisoner. Liberated in April 1945, he attended a royal presentation of his VC by King George VI that May. On 20 June he married Mary Eileen “Molly” McTamney at New Milton, Hampshire, before returning to New Zealand in September. He was discharged from the expeditionary force in November and bought a farm near the mouth of the Conway River at the end of the year. He refused money raised to buy him a farm; it instead supported a scholarship fund for servicemen’s sons.

Despite the lasting effects of his arm wounds, Upham became a successful sheep farmer. He and Molly raised three daughters, and he served on the board of governors of Christ’s College for nearly twenty years. He remained close to former comrades and avoided personal acclaim. In January 1994, declining health led the couple to retire to Christchurch.

Upham died in Christchurch on 22 November 1994. He remains the only combat soldier among the three recipients of the VC and Bar.