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| Page revised: 14 January, 2008 |
Major Arnold Horace Santo WATERS VC |
| Born: | Plymouth, Devon, England - 23 September 1886 | 
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| Died: | Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England - 22 January 1981 | ||
| Burial details: | Cremated at Sutton Coldfield: ashes laid to rest at All Saints, Foley Road East, Streetly. | ||
| Corps service: | Commissioned into the Corps in January 1915. He won a Military Cross (MC) on 30 June 1917 and was awarded a DSO in the Birthday Honours List in June 1918. After the war Arnold Waters returned to his civilian career as civil engineer. Eventually Colonel Sir Arnold Waters, VC, CBE, DSO, MC. | ||
| VC awarded: | Won VC on the Sambre-Oise canal near Ors, France on 4 November 1918. (First World War 1914-18) | ||
| VC unit: | 218 Field Company | ||
| VC presented: | VC presented by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 15 March 1919. | ||
| VC citation: | For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on
4 November 1918, near Ors, when bridging with his Field Company the
Oise-Sambre canal. From the outset the task was under artillery and
machine-gun fire at close range, the bridge being damaged and the
building party suffering severe casualties. Major Waters, hearing
that all his officers had been killed or wounded, at once went forward
and personally supervised the completion of the bridge, working on
cork floats while under fire at point-blank range. So intense was
the fire that it seemed impossible that he could escape being killed.
The success of the operation was due entirely to his valour and example.
(London Gazette: 13 February 1919) |
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| VC location: | Royal Engineers Museum | ||
| Background: | Waters won his VC on the first day of the second
battle of Sambre (4 November 1918), which was part of the final
offensive of the war. The attack was opened on a front of 30 miles
from Valenciennes to the Sambre, north of Oisy. At this point the
60-70 feet wide Sambre-Oise canal runs approximately north-south,
about 5 miles east of Le Cateau. The canal was first barrier to
be encounted by troops in the northern attack. The British XIII
and IX Corps reached the canal first. German guns quickly ranged
the attackers, and bodies piled up before the temporary bridges
were properly emplaced under heavy fire. Other Sappers VC recipients in this battle were:
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| Source:
Additional material: SC Fenwick, FoREM Links to further reading:
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Royal Engineers Museum main site
