Charles George Bonner

Captain Charles George Bonner VC DSC (29 December 1884 – 7 February 1951) 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.

He was 32 years old, and a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 8 August 1917 in the Bay of Biscay, Atlantic, Lieutenant Bonner was with HMS Dunraven (one of the 'Q' or 'mystery' ships playing the part of an unobservant merchantman) when she was shelled by an enemy submarine. The lieutenant was in the thick of the fighting and throughout the whole of the action his pluck and determination had a considerable influence on the crew. (See also Ernest Herbert Pitcher)

He later achieved the rank of captain.

Memorials
Bonner, who died at home in Edinburgh in 1951 aged 66, was cremated at Warriston Cemetery. His ashes were buried in St Mary's Churchyard, Aldridge, West Midlands. In November 2007, a commemorative plaque to Captain Bonner was unveiled in Aldridge, and an annual parade is held every year to honour his life and achievement. In December 2009, a memorial plaque to Bonner and two other recipients of the Victoria Cross, James Thompson and John Henry Carless, was unveiled at the Town Hall in Walsall, England.