On
my first visit to Ypres, when I knew virtually
nothing about the Great War and I was beginning
to get the urge to learn much, much more,
I went to St George's Memorial Church. Deeply
impressed by all the memorials and plaques
there, a man approached me (I wish now that
I had asked who he was) and offered to show
me round, which he did. At one point he stopped
and pointed out a framed photograph of a young
officer. "Do you know who that is?", he asked.
On seeing my obviously dumb expression, he
proudly said, "Noel Chavasse. Double VC". This
was obviously something important and he explained
a little of Noel's story to me. It sounded
extraordinary. I then followed his advice and
went to see Noel's grave at Brandhoek, not
far from Ypres.
Ann Clayton
will be well known to those readers who are
members of the Western Front Association, for
she has been the editor of the splendid journal
"Stand To!" for many years. We served together
on the WFA Executive Committee during my own
involvement there and I got to know her as
a delightful, intelligent and wise colleague.
Ann first published her biography of Noel Godfrey
Chavasse in 1992, which if I remember correctly
was before she volunteered for the "Stand To!"
job. I heard her speak about her work on Chavasse
at a weekend seminar on Birmingham around
the time of its publication. She showed a set
of remarkable slides, some of which are reproduced
in the book, of Noel and his family, schools
he had attended, places where he had lived
and worked. And of course of his all too short
military career.
Noel Chavasse became
the Medical Officer to the 1/10th (Scottish)
Battalion of the King's (Liverpool Regiment),
best known as the Liverpool Scottish. He is unique
in that he carried out exploits for which he
won the Victoria Cross twice in the Great War,
both times for his treatment of the wounded on
the battlefield, the first time on the Somme
in 1916 and the second at Wieltje during Third
Ypres. On the second occasion he died of wounds
received during the fighting and was taken to
a medical unit at Brandhoek. These were just
the officially recognised occasions. As Ann tells,
there were plenty of other times when Noel Chavasse
carried out acts of the most extreme gallantry,
often without regard for his own safety.
Ann's biography is one of the
best Great War books you could choose to read.
The original 1992 hardback is now hard to find
and this Pen & Sword reprint is very welcome.
Buy it!
More
book reviews |
|