AN EXCITING "Old Contemptible's" MILITARY MEDAL
& V.C. Action, 2nd AWARD BAR. (Single)
To:
7350. Pte C. GLEDHILL.
3rd, 5th & 1st COLDSTREAM GUARDS.


A very early entrant into France on 12th August 1914.

[BIOGRAPHY]
Charles Gledhill was from Bridlington in Yorkshire and was born in about 1890.

He joined the army in about May of 1907 at age 17. He entered France with 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards which was one of the very earliest units to arrive on 12th August 1914. (War was only declared on the 4th). At age 26 he was wounded on the Somme in the summer of 1916, probably while winning his first MM, and was returned to the UK where during his recuperation he was temporarily attached to the 5th Bn at Windsor. Upon his recovery he clearly returned to France & joined the much depleted 1st Battalion and at the age of about 28 took part in the double Victoria Cross action at the crossing of the Canal du Nord near Graincourt on 27th September 1918 where Captain C.H. Frisby & L/Cpl T.N. Jackson both won their VC's.


[MILITARY MEDAL]
L.G. 27th October 1916 ]
Battle of The Somme. July-August 1916.












[BAR to MILITARY MEDAL]
L.G. 14th May 1919]

Battle of Canal du Nord, Graincourt. 27th September 1918

[THE V.C. ACTION ]
On 27 September 1918 at the Battle of Canal du Nord, near Graincourt, France, Captain C.H.Frisby was in command of a company detailed to capture a canal crossing, but when the canal was reached, the leading platoon came under annihilating fire from a strong enemy post under the bridge on the far side of the canal. Captain Frisby with Lance-Corporal Thomas Norman Jackson and two other men, who, based on the dates of their 2nd Awards of the MM, and previous compelling circumstances, were almost certainly Cpl W. Eccles DCM, MM* & Pte C. Gledhill MM*.

The four men, Frisby, Jackson, Eccles & Gledhill, then climbed down into the canal. The bridge was ruined and lying in the canal bed. The canal itself although full of tangled wire defences was largely empty although heavy rain was standing in large pools.

The party of four having climbed down into the canal under intense fire succeeded in capturing the post with two machine-guns and 12 men. Then having consolidated his objective Captain Frisby gave timely support to a company which had lost all its officers and sergeants, organising the defences and beating off a heavy counter attack.

Captain Frisby survived the action but Cpl T.N. Jackson VC was killed later in the day.

( NOTE:Cpl W. Eccles & Pte C. Gledhill were quite clearly well known to each other and seem to have been a regular fighting duo whilst serving in the same platoon on at least two occasions as they both received their initial MM's on the same day in 1916 while serving with the 3rd Bn and then both their Bars on the same day in 1918 during the VC action with 1st Bn).











An exceptional "Double M.M" to an Old Contemptible who served with the crack Coldstream Guards (The oldest regiment in he British Army) and who being twice decorated, also survived the entire period of The Great War. He was from Bridlington.

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