Charles Rutherford; Canadian Hero of World War I

Charles Rutherford, 97, a Canadian who was the last surviving holder of the Victoria Cross in World War I. An obituary, published in London’s Daily Telegraph, said Rutherford won the medal Aug. 26, 1918, when the Canadian platoon he was commanding captured a French village giving observers a view of the defenses of the German Hindenberg Line. Only 18 days earlier, Rutherford had won the coveted Military Cross for bravery by capturing another village on Aug. 8, when the Allied offensive that would end the war began that day in front of Amiens. Rutherford rejoined the army in World War II and took part in protecting the Duke of Windsor in the Bahamas and guarding prisoner-of-war camps in Canada. Before retirement he was postmaster at Colborne, Ontario. The Victoria Cross, the highest British honor for battlefield courage, was awarded to 633 people during World War I. In Ottawa on a date not reported.