Orders, Decorations and Medals

A fine Second World War escaper’s M.C. group of eight awarded to Major R. R. Charter, South African Forces: on one occasion he was ‘placed against a wall preparatory to being shot for being in civilian clothes’, but the timely arrival of British parachutist saved the day

Military Cross, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated ‘1945’; 1939-45 Star, uninscribed; Africa Star; Italy Star; France and Germany Star; Defence and War Medals, M.I.D. oak leaf; Africa Service Medal 1939-45, these last six all officially inscribed, ‘107117 R. R. Charter’, generally good very fine (8) £1200-1500

M.C. London Gazette 15 November 1945. The original recommendation states:

‘During June 1942, Major Charter was captured in the Western Desert. Masquerading as German soldiers, he and another officer stole a vehicle and joined an enemy convoy proceeding to Sidi Barrani. During a short halt they broke away, and although they were fired upon they were not caught until later the same afternoon when they were seen and chased by a fast moving armoured car. Major Charter was sent to Modena (Camp 47, Italy). After participating in an unsuccessful tunnel scheme, Major Charter escaped in August 1943 from a fatigue party collecting Red Cross parcels. When the train in which he travelled was shunted into a goods yard he was caught as he tried to saunter away. As a result, he was returned to Modena. In the confusion of the arrival of the Germans, Major Charter climbed the perimeter wall. Outside he joined three other officers and together they travelled to the Pescara district, where they were caught in an attempt to participate in an organised evacuation scheme. They were sent to Chieti (Camp 21). With one of his companions Major Charter hid in a hole they had dug and when the search for them was abandoned, they left the camp. Resuming their journey South, they finally met British forces about eight weeks later. Major Charter volunteered immediately for active service with the British forces.’

Mention in despatches London Gazette 4 April 1946 (North-West Europe).

Robert Roderick Charter was born in Pretoria in April 1918 and was educated at Pietermaritzburg College and Natal University. Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the South African Artillery in April 1940, he served in 2nd Anti-Aircraft Brigade, S.A.A. in East Africa and Abyssinia September 1940 to July 1941, and in the Western Desert from the latter date until taken P.O.W. at Tobruk in June 1942, latterly as an Acting Battery Commander.

Charter’s own account of his assorted escape attempts is a good deal more detailed than the relatively bland account contained in the recommendation for his M.C. - the following extract being a case in point:

‘Before the Italian capitulation, the Germans took over our camp and moved it to the Austrian frontier. Our guard were, however, inexperienced and whilst some of my friends created a disturbance on one side, thereby focussing the attention of the guards, I managed to escape by a different method, and later was joined by Captain I. Simpson (2nd Transvaal Scottish) who had also managed to escape by a different method, and later by Captains Walker and Lombard, both U.D.F.

We walked from the Italian-Austrian frontier to Francoville, south of Pescara, and met a British parachutist who informed me that a British vessel would be at a certain RV at a certain time to evacuate escaped POWs. The vessel never arrived, and we were captured by a German patrol at the RV and placed against a wall preparatory to being shot for being in civilian clothes. Before this could be done, the German officer was himself shot by the British parachutist, and his 2nd-in-command thought it best to take us to H.Q., 2 German Parachute Division, for interrogation.

The Divisional Commander, after a very thorough cross-examination aimed at finding out why the parachutist was behind the lines, decided against shooting us and in due course sent us to Chieti. Here, Simpson and I dug a hole unobserved and hid in it for four days, at the end of which period the guards abandoned the search for us. We resumed our progress in the direction of British lines and managed to cross the Triquo under cover of darkness. The whole journey was 750 miles and the period taken to cover this distance was eight weeks.

I was seconded immediately to the British Army. Captain Simpson did the same and was killed in action. He has, I believe, been recommended for a posthumous V.C.’

Having reached Allied lines, Charter was seconded to the British Army and posted to the Seaforth Highlanders, with whom he served in Italy until July 1944, when he was embarked for the U.K. to attend Staff College at Camberley. Advanced to Major, he was next posted to 71 Infantry Brigade, in which unit he served in North-West Europe until de-seconded in September 1945.

Charter completed an application form for his 1939-45 awards in January 1947, all of which were forwarded to him in August 1953; meanwhile, after exchanging several letters with the relevant authorities, he appears to have been sent his M.C. in the course of 1949.