Charles Wilcox, GC; Painter-Hero
Hyfler/Rosner
(Filed: 06/04/2006) Telegraph
Charles Wilcox, who died on Tuesday aged 86, won the George
Cross for helping to rescue a man who had become trapped
high up on a building in Birmingham.
On August 23 1949 Wilcox, a 30-year-old painter employed by
Birmingham Corporation, was engaged with other workmen in
painting a council house building in the centre of the city.
One of his workmates, Alfred Burrows, aged 21, mounted a
ladder to begin painting an outside window on the third
floor.
When he reached the top of the ladder, about 45 ft above the
street, he climbed on to an arched sill, about 18 in wide,
sited below the window. He then discovered that the window
was bricked up on the inside, and that there was nothing he
could catch hold of to keep his balance.
He turned around to go back to the ladder, but was unable to
see it. Becoming frightened, he crouched down, trying to
keep his balance on the narrow ledge.
The foreman painter, seeing Burrows's predicament, sent
another painter to his assistance.
This man, after supporting Burrows for a few minutes,
returned to the ground. Charles Wilcox then climbed the
ladder and, by kneeling on a flat piece of masonry some 18
inches square at the end of the arch, was able to support
Burrows, who was by now suffering from severe shock.
Wilcox remained in this position for 45 minutes until the
Fire Brigade arrived; they strapped Burrows, who was by now
unconscious, into a safety harness. A fireman then brought
him to the ground.
Wilcox was originally awarded the Edward Medal, but this was
later translated to the George Cross, in 1971. He was
invested with the GC by the Queen at Buckingham Palace on
March 20 1973.
The citation for his award declared: "During the period that
Mr Wilcox was on the ledge with Burrows, he was in
considerable danger of falling, had the other man kicked out
or made any violent movement."
Charles Wilcox was born on May 11 1919 in Birmingham, and
was educated at Osler Street School, Ladywood, and
Raddleburn Road School, Selly Oak. His uncle, Lance-Corporal
Alfred Wilcox, won the Victoria Cross while serving with
2/4th Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry near
Laventie, France, in September 1918.
After leaving school, Charles was employed as a painter and
decorator by Birmingham Corporation. He continued in this
position until the outbreak of war in 1939, when he enlisted
with the 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment, as a
private.
In 1940-41 Wilcox saw service in Palestine, Egypt and the
Western Desert. For six months he was seconded to an
anti-aircraft detachment on merchant ships. Then, in
February 1942, the battalion embarked for India, where it
was trained for a long-range penetration role. In March 1944
the battalion was air-lifted into Burma for the second
Chindit expedition as part of Brigadier Mike Calvert's 77th
Indian Infantry Brigade.
Wilcox was demobilised in March 1946 and returned to his job
with Birmingham Corporation. From 1965 to 1980 he was
employed as a car assembler with Austin at Longbridge, but
had to give up work on medical grounds.
After retiring in Birmingham, his interests were gardening,
carpentry and restoring old clocks. A modest, thoughtful
man, Wilcox played the electric organ and enjoyed karaoke.
He presented his Edward Medal to the City of Birmingham
Museum and Art Gallery.
Charles Wilcox married, in 1945, Edith Davies. They had two
sons and two daughters; one son, Edward, died when he was
aged 20.