“This was a man fixed on doing his duty, regardless of the obvious perils in which he found himself.”
Those were the words of Lieutenant-General Sir Alistair Irwin as he paid tribute to the Angus man who became the first Scot to win a Victoria Cross during the First World War.
Lance Corporal Charles Jarvis spent more than an hour in a small boat attaching explosives to a canal bridge while under heavy enemy fire.
In his home town of Carnoustie, a flagstone commemorating his deeds was unveiled on the 100th anniversary of that desperate action at Jemappes, near the Belgium city of Mons.
Such ceremonies will be repeated across the UK thanks to a government project to honour all the VC recipients of the war.
Sir Alistair said: “Over the years the Victoria Cross and its companion honour the George Cross have quite rightly acquired an awe-inspiring reputation, representing the very pinnacle of human achievement in the face of the enemy and extreme danger.
“The holders of these two crosses are quite rightly honoured and revered, even among those who otherwise have little or no knowledge of military affairs.”
LCpl Jarvis, who moved to Carnoustie with his family when he was eight, served with the Royal Engineers and was later transferred to the reserve, only to be recalled to the colours aged 33 when war broke out.
“It was the events of August 23, 1914, that earned Charles Jarvis a permanent place in the history of Carnoustie, of the Royal Engineers, of the army and indeed of the nation.
“So very often it is ordinary people like him who, when the chips are down, can surprise ourselves by doing extraordinary things,” Sir Alistair said.
Men of the British Expeditionary Force had closed up to the Mons canal, but the Germans reached the opposite bank. Third Division’s task was to prevent the Germans from crossing the 80ft wide waterway.
LCpl Jarvis and a fellow sapper from 57 Field Squadron had to prepare the bridge for demolition, attaching explosive charges to it from a boat being held against the current by some soldiers.
“All the time they were in the full view of the enemy and under intense fire. As their situation worsened Lance Corporal Jarvis sent most of the infantrymen back into cover,” Sir Alistair explained.
But Jarvis, the sapper and one soldier worked on for more than an hour, all the while being shot at.
The soldiers holding a barricade at the northern end of the bridge then received orders to withdraw from their position.
Once they had crossed over LCpl Jarvis blew the charges.
“The bridge collapsed into the canal, putting it beyond use by the advancing Germans. A job well done,” Sir Alistair said.
“This was a man whose actions on that day earned him not only the distinction of winning a Victoria Cross, but also of being the first of the 70 Scottish VCs of the war.
“No one could argue that this ceremony is not entirely fitting.”
Angus Provost Helen Oswald said the flagstone would ensure that Charles Jarvis’s name would live on.