Nelson Victor Carter VC (6 April 1887 – 30 June 1916) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

thumb|left|Nelson Victor Carter VC birth certificate

left|thumb|175px|Carter's grave

thumb|left|210px|Blue Plaque commemorating Carter in Greys Road, Eastbourne

Carter was born on 6 April 1887 to Richard Carter, of Hailsham; husband of Kathleen Carter, of 33 Greys Road, Old Town, Eastbourne. His date of birth is often stated as the ninth, but his birth certificate states the sixth.

He twice enlisted in the Royal Artillery, in 1902 and 1906, both times being later discharged as medically unfit. In September 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War, he re-enlisted in the British Army, going to France with the Royal Sussex Regiment in March 1916.

He was 29 years old, and a company sergeant major in the 12th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, when he died during the First World War. He was awarded the VC for his actions on 30 June 1916 at Boar's Head, Richebourg l'Avoue, France:

After initial burial in a multiple grave,

References

Bibliography

  • Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
  • The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
  • Burial location of Nelson Carter
  • News Item "Nelson Carter's Victoria Cross donated to the Royal Sussex Regiment Museum"
  • Redoubt Fortress Museum
  • Eastbourne Redoubt
  • The Royal Sussex Living History Group Website - Source of much information on The Royal Sussex Regiment including The Battle of the Boar's Head