Private William Henry Charlesworth
Unit : No.15 Platoon, "C" Company, 2nd Battalion The South Staffordshire Regiment
Army No. : 4916533
Awards : Military Medal
This soldier took part in the attack on Waterloo Bridge. About fifteen minutes after its capture ten enemy in a lorry tried to force an entry at the far end of the Bridge. Private Charlesworth accounted for five or six of the enemy with his Bren gun, and when his magazine ran out of action [presumably this should read "ammunition"] he gallantly charged the remainder using his Bren gun as a club. By doing so he ensured that the work of removing the demolition charges on the Bridge was not interfered with.
On another occasion he ran fifty yards under heavy machine gun fire with his Bren gun so that he could neutralize this fire and allow his section to dis-engage themselves. During the afternoon of the following day, Private Charlesworth was severely wounded in the stomach. He remained on the edge of the canal for twenty four hours before he received medical attention and insisted on cleaning and maintaining his weapon. When the Bridge was recaptured by the enemy for a short period, he refused to surrender himself to the enemy and remained in hiding where he was, later rejoining his platoon.