Charles Calveley Foss
Encyclopedia
Brigadier
Charles Calveley Foss VC
, CB
, DSO
(9 March 1885 - 9 April 1953) was an English
recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
Foss was born in Kobe
, the son of Rev. Hugh James Foss
, Bishop of Osaka. He was 30 years old, and a captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment, British Army
during the First World War
when the deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 12 March 1915 at Neuve Chapelle, France
, after the enemy had captured a part of one of the British trenches and a counter-attack made with one officer and 20 men had failed (all but two of the party having been killed or wounded in the attempt) Captain Foss on his own initiative dashed forward with only eight men under heavy fire and attacked the enemy with bombs and captured the position and the 52 Germans occupying it.
One of the eight men who accompanied Captain Foss at Neuve Chapelle was William George Peggs, 9822 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment who was awarded the Order of St George 4th Class (Russia) for his part in the attack. Peggs died from wounds received during a later battle on 9 August 1916. Peggs is buried at La Neuville British Cemetery, Albert, France.
He later achieved the rank of brigadier
.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regimental Collection at the Wardown Park Museum, Luton, Bedfordshire.
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
Charles Calveley Foss VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(9 March 1885 - 9 April 1953) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Foss was born in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, the son of Rev. Hugh James Foss
Hugh James Foss
Hugh James Foss was an Anglican bishop, the second Bishop of Osaka.Hugh James Foss was born into a legal family: his father was Edward Foss, author of The Judges of England. He was educated at Marlborough College and Christ's College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1873, he spent a three year curacy in...
, Bishop of Osaka. He was 30 years old, and a captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Bedfordshire Regiment, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when the deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 12 March 1915 at Neuve Chapelle, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, after the enemy had captured a part of one of the British trenches and a counter-attack made with one officer and 20 men had failed (all but two of the party having been killed or wounded in the attempt) Captain Foss on his own initiative dashed forward with only eight men under heavy fire and attacked the enemy with bombs and captured the position and the 52 Germans occupying it.
One of the eight men who accompanied Captain Foss at Neuve Chapelle was William George Peggs, 9822 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment who was awarded the Order of St George 4th Class (Russia) for his part in the attack. Peggs died from wounds received during a later battle on 9 August 1916. Peggs is buried at La Neuville British Cemetery, Albert, France.
He later achieved the rank of brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....
.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regimental Collection at the Wardown Park Museum, Luton, Bedfordshire.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Hampshire)