World War II Victoria Cross Recipient. He served as a Lieutenant and later a Major in the Welch Regiment throughout the Second World War, being awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944, before embarking on a long and distinguished career in law that reached its peak when he was appointed senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales in 1983, a position he held for eight years. He was 25 years old, and a lieutenant in the 1/5th battalion, the Welch Regiment, British Army during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On August 16, 1944 at Barfour, Normandy, France, Lieutenant Watkins' company came under murderous machine-gun fire while advancing through corn fields set with booby traps. The only officer left, Lieutenant Watkins led a bayonet charge with his 30 remaining men against 50 enemy infantry, practically wiping them out. Finally, at dusk, and separated from the rest of the battalion, he ordered his men to scatter, and after he had personally charged and silenced an enemy machine-gun post, he brought them back to safety. His superb leadership not only saved his men, but decisively influenced the course of the battle. His Victoria Cross is on display in the Welch Regiment Museum located in Cardiff Castle.
Monument at Llandaff Cathedral, near Cardiff, Wales
Monument at Llandaff Cathedral, near Cardiff, Wales
World War II Victoria Cross Recipient. He served as a Lieutenant and later a Major in the Welch Regiment throughout the Second World War, being awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944, before embarking on a long and distinguished career in law that reached its peak when he was appointed senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales in 1983, a position he held for eight years. He was 25 years old, and a lieutenant in the 1/5th battalion, the Welch Regiment, British Army during the Second World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On August 16, 1944 at Barfour, Normandy, France, Lieutenant Watkins' company came under murderous machine-gun fire while advancing through corn fields set with booby traps. The only officer left, Lieutenant Watkins led a bayonet charge with his 30 remaining men against 50 enemy infantry, practically wiping them out. Finally, at dusk, and separated from the rest of the battalion, he ordered his men to scatter, and after he had personally charged and silenced an enemy machine-gun post, he brought them back to safety. His superb leadership not only saved his men, but decisively influenced the course of the battle. His Victoria Cross is on display in the Welch Regiment Museum located in Cardiff Castle.
Monument at Llandaff Cathedral, near Cardiff, Wales
Monument at Llandaff Cathedral, near Cardiff, Wales
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