VC hero who fought Chinese with beer bottles dies aged 90
‘Fighting was hand-to-hand’
HE was the fearless British soldier who held back a ferocious assault by the Chinese army, armed with only beer bottles and tin cans.
Bill Speakman’s heroic actions during the Korean War made him the first soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross by Queen Elizabeth II.
But yesterday it was announced that Mr Speakman, the last surviving VC holder from the conflict, has died aged 90.
Having enlisted in the Black Watch in 1945, the soldier born in Altrincham, Cheshire, served in Germany, Italy and Hong Kong before volunteering for Korea, where he was attached to the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (KOSB) in 1951.
He ignored leg and shoulder wounds to lead ten grenade charges which stopped Communist Chinese troops capturing a British position in November 1951.
The assault – nicknamed Charlie Chinaman’s Gunpowder Plot by the soldiers because it came on the eve of Guy Fawkes Night – fell heavily on three companies of 1st Battalion, KOSB.
Such was the ferocity of the Chinese counter-attack that the KOSBs were eventually forced to fall back, but the mortar platoon fired 5,000 rounds before retiring as further waves of Communist troops closed in.
Despite being hugely outnumbered, 6ft 6in Private Speakman assumed command of a party of six men, gathered a pile of grenades and led charges against the oncoming Chinese troops.
They broke up several enemy attacks, causing heavy casual- ties, while Pte Speakman, despite being wounded by shrapnel in his shoulder and thigh, continued to lead charge after charge.
When the grenades ran out, he even resorted to throwing rocks, tins and anything he could lay his hands on, including the empty bottles from the platoon’s beer ration.
His bravery and leadership kept the enemy at bay long enough to enable the KOSBs to withdraw safely, with the loss of seven men killed and one missing.
The father of seven later recalled: ‘It was hand-to-hand. There was no time to pull back the bolt of the rifle. It was November, the ground was hard, so grenades bounced and did damage.’
He was awarded the Victoria Cross the following year. In 2015, he donated his medal to South Korea so it could be displayed there as a tribute to British bravery during the 1950 to 1953 conflict.
In 1955 he served with the Malayan Scouts then rejoined the KOSB and served in Aden, Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Germany.
In recent years he visited South Korea twice and in 2015 was awarded the country’s highest honour, the Order of Military Merit.
A spokesman for the Victoria Cross Trust said: ‘We are extremely sad to learn that Chelsea Pensioner Bill Speakman VC sadly passed away last night. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family.’