William Charles Fuller

Sergeant William Charles Fuller VC, MID (13 March 1884 – 29 December 1974) was one of the first heroes of the First World War and the first Welsh soldier to earn the Victoria Cross during the conflict. Born in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, he enlisted in The Welch Regiment in 1902, serving in South Africa and India before returning to civilian life. Recalled to the colours in August 1914, he crossed to France with the original British Expeditionary Force and fought in the opening battles of the war.

On 14 September 1914, near Chivy-sur-Aisne, France, Lance Corporal Fuller performed the action that earned Britain’s highest award for gallantry. Under intense rifle and machine-gun fire, he crossed approximately one hundred yards of open ground to reach the mortally wounded Captain Mark Haggard, nephew of the famous novelist Sir Rider Haggard. Lifting the officer onto his shoulders, Fuller carried him back to cover, dressed his wounds, then voluntarily returned through the enemy fire to recover Haggard’s rifle after the officer insisted it must not fall into German hands. Assisted by Private Snooks and Lieutenant Melvin, Fuller helped move the wounded captain to a dressing station inside a nearby barn. He remained at Haggard’s side until the officer died later that evening, his final words to Fuller being, “Stick it, Welsh.” Fuller then continued caring for other wounded officers while the barn itself came under heavy shellfire before eventually being destroyed.

His courage did not end there. On 29 October 1914, while treating another wounded soldier near Gheluvelt, Belgium, Fuller was struck by multiple pieces of shrapnel. Wounded in both legs and chest, a fragment lodged dangerously beside his spine near his right lung. Evacuated to England, he underwent lengthy treatment in Manchester and Swansea, where another bullet was removed from his neck. During his recovery, Captain Haggard’s widow presented him with a solid gold hunter watch incorporating the shrapnel removed from his body into its chain, and Sir Rider Haggard personally visited Fuller at his home.

King George V presented Fuller with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on 13 January 1915. His wounds prevented any return to front-line service, and he spent the remainder of the war recruiting throughout Wales, eventually serving as a Sergeant before being discharged as medically unfit in December 1915.

After the war Fuller earned his living operating a horse-drawn fish cart while breeding canaries and racing greyhounds. During the Second World War he again served his community as an Air Raid Precautions (ARP) Warden in Swansea. Although often credited with receiving the Royal Humane Society Medal after rescuing two boys from drowning in 1938, no official record of that award has been found. William Charles Fuller died at Swansea on 29 December 1974, aged ninety. Initially buried in an unmarked grave at Oystermouth Cemetery, his grave was finally marked with a permanent headstone in 2005, ensuring that the resting place of one of Wales’ greatest soldiers is properly honoured.