Upham, Charles Hazlitt (1908-1994), a New Zealand soldier, was the only man to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice during World War II (1939-1945). The Victoria Cross is Australia’s highest military honor. It is given for exceptional bravery in the face of the enemy.
In 1941, Upham received his first Victoria Cross while serving as an officer with a New Zealand Army battalion in Crete. In 1942, he was awarded a bar to his Victoria Cross. The Bar, equivalent to a second Victoria Cross, was given for his outstanding bravery in leading his troops against the Germans at Ruweisat Ridge, in northern Africa, while severely wounded. The Germans captured him. After the war, Upham returned to New Zealand and became a sheep farmer.
Upham was born on Sept. 21, 1908, in Christchurch, on the South Island of New Zealand. He died on Nov. 22, 1994.
