# William Charles Fuller > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_Charles_Fuller > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/William_Charles_Fuller.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Charles_Fuller > Source revision: 1352772218 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross For other people named William Fuller, see [William Fuller (disambiguation)](/source/William_Fuller_(disambiguation)). William Charles Fuller Fuller on a cigarette card Born (1884-03-13)13 March 1884 Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Wales Died 29 December 1974(1974-12-29) (aged 90) Swansea, Glamorganshire, Wales Buried Oystermouth Cemetery, West Glamorgan Allegiance United Kingdom Branch British Army Service years 1902–1915 Rank Sergeant Unit Welsh Regiment Home Guard Conflicts First World War Second World War Awards Victoria Cross Mentioned in Despatches[1] Royal Humane Society Medal for Life-Saving **William Charles Fuller**, [VC](/source/Victoria_Cross) (13 March 1884 – 29 December 1974) was a soldier in the [British Army](/source/British_Army) and a Welsh recipient of the [Victoria Cross](/source/Victoria_Cross), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and [Commonwealth](/source/Commonwealth_of_Nations) forces. Fuller was the first Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross in the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). ## Early life Fuller was the son of William and Mary Fuller of [Laugharne](/source/Laugharne), Carmarthenshire, Wales. He was born in Laugharne on 13 March 1884. Educated in Swansea, he served in the [British Army](/source/British_Army) from 1902 to 1909. Fuller married Mary Elizabeth Phillips in 1909, and they had five children: four daughters (Mary, Doris, Muriel and Caroline); and one son, William. He was recalled to the army as a reservist in 1914. [2] ## First World War Fuller was 30 years old, and a [lance corporal](/source/Lance_corporal) in the 2nd Battalion, [Welsh Regiment](/source/Welch_Regiment), during the [First World War](/source/First_World_War) when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. On 14 September 1914 near Chivy-sur-Aisne, France, Fuller advanced under very heavy enemy [rifle](/source/Rifle) and [machine-gun](/source/Machine-gun) fire to extract an officer who was mortally wounded, and carried him back to cover. Fuller won his Victoria Cross for saving Captain Mark Haggard, nephew of [Rider Haggard](/source/Rider_Haggard), who had fallen wounded. He carried him a distance estimated at 100 yards to a ridge where he managed to dress the officer's wounds. Captain Haggard asked Fuller to fetch his rifle from where he had fallen, because he did not want the enemy to get it. Fuller managed to do so.[3] With the help of two others, Private Snooks and Lieutenant Melvin, Officer in charge of the machine-gun section of the Welsh Regiment, they managed to get Haggard to the safety of a barn that was being used as a first-aid dressing station. Fuller remained with Haggard trying to help him until the officer died later on that evening, his last words being "Stick it, Welch."[4] Fuller attended to two other officers who had also been brought to the barn wounded (Lieutenant The Honorable Fitzroy Somerset and Lieutenant Richards). The barn came under heavy fire, and the wounded men and officers were evacuated. Afterwards, the barn was razed to the ground via German shell-fire. On 29 October, Fuller was wounded while dressing the wounds of Private Tagg; shrapnel entered his right side, twelve inches in up to his shoulder blade and came to rest on his right lung. Fuller was sent to [Swansea](/source/Swansea) Hospital where they operated, removing the shrapnel. Fuller was given a home posting after his recovery, as a recruiting [sergeant](/source/Sergeant) in Wales. ## Later life and legacy After the war he was awarded the [Royal Humane Society](/source/Royal_Humane_Society) Medal for Life-Saving for attempting to save a drowning child at [Mumbles](/source/Mumbles), South Wales. During the [Second World War](/source/World_War_II), Fuller served in the Swansea [Home Guard](/source/Home_Guard_(United_Kingdom)).[4] Fuller died on 29 December 1974 and was buried at [Oystermouth Cemetery](/source/Oystermouth_Cemetery), Mumbles. A memorial stone was erected there in 2005.[5] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["No. 28942"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28942/supplement/8355). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement). 16 October 1914. p. 8355. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-VConline_2-0)** ["William Charles Fuller VC"](https://victoriacrossonline.co.uk/william-charles-fuller-vc). victoriacrossonline.co.uk. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 10 July 2024. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["No. 28983"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28983/supplement/9663). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement). 20 November 1914. p. 9663. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-WWVC_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-WWVC_4-1) ["West Wales Victoria Cross Winners"](https://ww1.wales/west-wales-gallantry-awards/local-victoria-cross-heroes). *West Wales War Memorial Project*. Retrieved 8 October 2020. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Stewart, Iain (6 January 2006). ["William Charles Fuller VC"](http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/bbfullwc.htm). victoriacross.org.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2016. ## Bibliography - Gliddon, Gerald (2011) [1994]. *1914*. [VCs of the First World War](/source/VCs_of_the_First_World_War). [The History Press](/source/The_History_Press). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0752459080](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0752459080). v t e Royal Welsh Predecessors 1st generation Royal Welch Fusiliers (1689–2006) South Wales Borderers (1689–1969) 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot (1719–1881) 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot (1756–1881) 2nd generation Welch Regiment (1881–1969) 3rd generation Royal Regiment of Wales (1969–2006) Victoria Cross William Wilson Allan David Bell Gonville Bromhead Edward Stevenson Browne Alexander Cobbe Nevill Coghill William Griffiths Frederick Hitch Alfred Henry Hook Dudley Graham Johnson William Jones Teignmouth Melvill Ivor Rees John Williams John Henry Williams Angus Buchanan James Cooper Campbell Mellis Douglas James Fynn Edric Gifford Robert Jones Thomas Murphy Albert White Ambrose Madden Hugh Rowlands William Charles Fuller Hubert William Lewis Edgar Myles Tasker Watkins Frederick Barter Edward William Derrington Bell John Collins James Llewellyn Davies Joseph John Davies Charles Doughty-Wylie Albert Hill George Monger Luke O'Connor Henry Weale Thomas Bernard Hackett Robert Shields William Henry Thomas Sylvester William Herbert Waring See also Battle of Rorke's Drift Prince of Wales's feathers Men of Harlech Firing Line Prince of Wales' Division Welsh Guards 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [William Charles Fuller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Charles_Fuller) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Charles_Fuller?action=history)). 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