Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
James Power Carne (11 April 1906 – 19 April 1986) was a
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
officer who served in both the Second World War and the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. He was also a recipient of the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
(VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
forces, for actions during the
Battle of the Imjin River
The Battle of the Imjin River ( fil, Labanan sa Ilog Imjin), also known as the Battle of Solma-ri ( ko, 설마리 전투) or Battle of Gloster Hill () in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali () in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during th ...
during which Carne led ''The Glorious Glosters'' in a famous stand against an overwhelming Chinese attack on
Gloster Hill
The Gloucester Hill Battle Monument ( ko, 파주 영국군 설마리전투비, literally "British Army's Seolmari Battle Monument in Paju") or Gloucester Memorial is a memorial in South Korea that commemorates the actions of the Gloucestershire ...
.
Early life
Carne was born in
Falmouth, Cornwall
Falmouth ( ; kw, Aberfala) is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 21,797 (2011 census).
Etymology
The name Falmouth is of English or ...
on 11 April 1906 the son of George Newby Carne and Annie Emily Le Poar Carne (née Power).
His father was a brewer and wine merchant.
A career officer, he attended the
Imperial Service College
The Imperial Service College (ISC) was an English independent school based in Windsor, originally known as St. Mark's School when it was founded in 1845.
In 1906, St Mark’s School absorbed boys from the former United Services College, which had ...
in Windsor and later passed out from the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst
The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...
and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Gloucestershire Regiment on 3 September 1925. He was promoted to lieutenant on 3 September 1927 and to captain on 1 October 1935. Seeing service in the Second World War, he was promoted to major on 3 September 1942. He was promoted to
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
on 7 February 1949.
Korean War
Carne was 45 years old and a lieutenant colonel commanding the 1st Battalion,
The Gloucestershire Regiment
The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...
in November 1950 when the regiment was attached to the
29th Independent Infantry Brigade and deployed to Korea following the outbreak of the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. Carne led his battalion as they provided the rearguard to retreating
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
forces following their defeat at the
Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River
The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River (), also known as the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on, was a decisive battle in the Korean War, and it took place from November 25 to December 2, 1950, along the Ch'ongch'on River Valley in the northwestern part of N ...
. He also led the Glosters in a successful a counter-offensive launched by UN forces on 16 February south of the
River Han.
Battle of the Imjin River and Victoria Cross
In early April, Carne and his battalion were spread over a 9-mile (14 km) front along the
Imjin River
The Imjin River ( in South Korea) or Rimjin River ( in North Korea) is the 7th largest river in Korea. It flows from north to south, crossing the Demilitarized Zone and joining the Han River downstream of Seoul, near the Yellow Sea. The river i ...
guarding a ford which was part of the main route to the city of
Seoul
Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
. During the night of 22 April, Chinese forces launched their
Spring Offensive which was intended to annihilate the British 29th Brigade as well as the US
3rd Infantry Division, thus enabling the capture of Seoul and delivering a crushing blow to UN forces in Korea.
In what became known as the
Battle of the Imjin River
The Battle of the Imjin River ( fil, Labanan sa Ilog Imjin), also known as the Battle of Solma-ri ( ko, 설마리 전투) or Battle of Gloster Hill () in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali () in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during th ...
, Carne's Glosters and the rest of the British brigade were met by an onslaught of over 27,000 Chinese troops attacking in massed waves. Carne's leadership was instrumental in allowing the Gloster's to hold their ground during the attack during which the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
By the morning of 24 April, Carne and the surviving Glosters gathered on Hill 235 where he received orders from 3rd Division commander
General Soule that the Glosters were to hold their ground and await reinforcements. These reinforcements, however, were forced to retreat just 2,000 yards (1,800 m) short of the Glosters' position, leaving the Glosters alone in trying to hold Hill 235 against an entire Chinese division. Both sides fought fiercely throughout the night for control over the hill and by the morning of 25 April, the Glosters still held the hill but had very little ammunition, no hope of relief and no artillery support. Carne requested permission to attempt a breakout and ordered his men to split into small groups and make as best they could back to the British lines. Only 63 of his men would succeed in doing this with the rest of the battalion, including Carne, being either killed, captured or wounded. Despite the battalion's effective annihilation, the Gloster's stand earned them worldwide fame as ''The Glorious Glosters'' and had enabled the rest of the British and American forces to retreat before they too were overwhelmed.
Prisoner of war
![Lieutenant Colonel James Power Carne VC, DSO](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Lieutenant_Colonel_James_Power_Carne_VC%2C_DSO.jpg)
Carne fell into Chinese captivity after his 700-man battalion's astonishing resistance against an estimated 11,000 attackers was finally overcome. As the senior British officer among hundreds of prisoners kept in appalling conditions in camps in communist-held Korea, he was singled out for special treatment. While the other ranks were "re-educated" by the communist commissars at their camps, Carne was kept in solitary confinement.
According to documents held at the
National Archives in Kew and not made public until 2006, when Carne was released in September 1953 he told Sir
Esler Dening
Sir Esler Maberley Dening GCMG OBE (21 April 1897 – 29 January 1977) was a British diplomat. He was the first British Ambassador to Japan after the end of the Second World War.Ian Nish. (2004). ''British Envoys in Japan 1859-1972,'' pp. 173- ...
, the British ambassador in Tokyo, "an extraordinary story" of
brainwashing
Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...
. "He says that between January 1952 and August this year he was kept in solitary confinement by Chinese communists and subjected to a softening-up process including the use of drugs,
heresult of which was, as he put it, to make his brain like a sponge, capable of receiving any kind of information put into it", Sir Esler told the Foreign Office in a "top secret" category telegram.
The note, which was sent straight to Sir
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
, in his second term as Prime Minister, went on: "In March of this year, (i.e. about the time when the communists displayed a new interest in concluding an armistice) various thoughts were put in to his mind, and he remains convinced that he was meant to retain these and pass them on to Her Majesty's Government." The thoughts comprised a peace deal not just to end the war in Korea, but to reach a settlement covering the whole Pacific region. Sir Esler opined: "The whole thing might be pure fantasy except for the fact that Colonel Carne could hardly have invented it and does not strike one as that sort of person." The
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* Unit ...
was sceptical about the plot, but suggested that perhaps its aim was to split Britain from its American ally.
Popular culture
In 1954 it was announced that
Warwick Productions
Warwick Films was a film company founded by film producers Irving Allen and Albert R. Broccoli in London in 1951. The name was taken from the Warwick Hotel in London.Broccoli, Albert R., Zec Donald. ''When the Snow Melts''. Boxtree. 1998 Their f ...
wanted to make a film ''The Glorious Glosters'' starring
Alan Ladd
Alan Walbridge Ladd (September 3, 1913 – January 29, 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Ladd found success in film in the 1940s and early 1950s, particularly in films noir and Westerns. He was often paired with Veronica Lake ...
as Carne based on a script by
Max Trell. However the film was never made. Carne was honoured by South Korea in 2015 when his image was featured on a South Korean stamp issued to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.
Later life
Carne settled in Gloucestershire in retirement and died in 1986. He was cremated at the
Bouncer's Lane Cemetery, Cheltenham
Bouncer's Lane Cemetery, also known as Cheltenham Cemetery and Prestbury Cemetery, at Bouncer's Lane, Prestbury, Cheltenham, is a cemetery founded by the Burial Board of the Improvement Commissioners for Cheltenham. Consecrated in 1864, it rem ...
, and buried at
Cranham
Cranham is a residential area of east London, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross and comprises an extensive built-up area to the north and a low density conservation area to the south sur ...
.
Honours and awards
*13 July 1951 – Lieutenant-Colonel James Power Carne (33647), The Gloucestershire Regiment (missing) is awarded the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
for gallant and distinguished services in Korea.
*27 October 1953 – Lieutenant-Colonel James Power Carne, DSO, (33647), The Gloucestershire Regiment, is awarded the
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
in recognition of gallant and distinguished service in Korea.
His Victoria Cross is held by the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.
*30 October 1953 – Lieutenant-Colonel James Power Carne, VC, DSO (33647). The Gloucestershire Regiment is given permission to wear the
Distinguished Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
conferred by the President of the United States for gallant and distinguished services during operations by the United Nations in Korea.
* 28 August 1956 Lt-Col Carne was appointed
Honorary Colonel of the
5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment
Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five.
Fifth or The Fifth may refer to:
* Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth"
* Fifth column, a political term
* Fifth disease, a contagious rash th ...
(
Territorial Army).
5th Glosters at Regiments.org.
/ref>
References
Bibliography
*
External links
''(Gloucestershire)''
''(detailed account of the Battle of the Imjin River)''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carne, James
1906 births
1986 deaths
People educated at the Imperial Services College
British Army personnel of the Korean War
British Army personnel of World War II
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
British prisoners of war in the Korean War
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Gloucestershire Regiment officers
People from Falmouth, Cornwall
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst
British torture victims
Military personnel from Cornwall