17 Feb 2022
On Friday 18 February 2022, we are paying our respects to Charles Medhurst, a World War II veteran, lifelong Greenwich resident and tireless charity fundraiser.
by Genevieve St George
Charles Medhurst was born on May 1925 in Greenwich to Violet and Harry Medhurst. Apart from his service during the Second World War, he lived and worked in his beloved Greenwich all his life.
Charles’s older brother Harry died in Burma in March 1942. Charles himself was called up In July 1943, aged 18.
The first ship Charles served on was HMS Malaya. By June 1944, Malaya was in Portsmouth ready to support the D-Day landings. Charles was a signalman.
In 1945 Charles sailed from Liverpool to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and from there on to Vancouver in order to serve in the Pacific War.
Charles returned to England in October 1946 and was discharged. Here he met his future wife Iris, and they married in 1950. Iris died in 2003.
Charles took up marathon running in 1988. He would go on to complete a remarkable 16 marathons, raising funds for charities including Fight for Sight and ChildHope. He was invited to a reception at Downing Street in 2008 as part of his support for sight loss charity Fight for Sight.
Charles continued to support and remember his fellow Second World War veterans throughout his life, raising thousands of pounds as part of the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.
In 2010, he travelled to see his brother’s name on the Singapore Memorial in Kranji War Cemetery. The memorial bears the names of over 24,000 casualties of the Commonwealth land and air forces who have no known grave.
In 2015 Charles attended the VE Day Service in Westminster Abbey, a service also attended by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2019 sailed on board MS Boudicca as part of the D-Day Voyage of Remembrance. A wonderful experience.
He was also appointed to the rank of Chevalier in the Ordre national de la Legion d'Honneur by the French President, and named Honorary President of the Greenwich Royal Naval Association.
Charles played an active role in all aspects of Greenwich life, and in 2017 was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
He was a member of Greenwich History Society, a member of Royal Museums Greenwich and an Angel of the Old Royal Naval College. In 2020 he laid a wreath at Cutty Sark’s Memorial for Merchant Seafarers as part of the Museum’s Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
Always a supporter of Greenwich Sea Cadets, in August 2019 he attended the Sea Cadets National Band Competition at the Tower of London. Wearing his medals he was amazing, mingling with the Sea Cadets there.
In 2019 he published a book, What a Life, looking back no his naval career, marathon running and growing up in Greenwich.
In summer 2021 he was invited to National Arboretum where he met Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.
It has been a privilege to know Charles.
