THE family of a First World War hero who was twice awarded Britain’s highest medal of valour visited a Colchester recovery centre for veterans which honours his name.

Camilla Kinton and Julia Hatfield, great nieces of legendary Army medic Noel Chavasse, paid a visit to Chavasse VC House to mark the 100th anniversary of their great uncle’s passing.

Captain Chavasse, who was an Olympic athlete, saved the lives of around 20 seriously wounded men during the bloody Passchendaele offensive in 1917 - despite sustaining serious injuries himself.

He died in hospital several days after his trench was hit by a shell. The wounded captain had crawled half a mile to seek help for others before he was helped.

He was just 32-years-old, but was the most highly decorated British officer of the First World War.

Upon visiting the recovery centre named after him, which is run by the military charity Help for Heroes, Camilla and Julia were reminded of their great uncle’s actions.

“Noel came from a family with a great faith and sense of duty, they always wanted to help others,” said Camilla.

“Even when Noel carried out those acts which saw him awarded the Victoria Cross, he didn’t feel like he was being brave. It was just the way he was, he just wanted to help his men.”

She added: “This is the best possible memorial to Noel Chavasse, as he cared about the whole person - not just the physical but the emotional side.

“The centre does just that here, it cares for the whole person.

“It is nice to be able to keep his name alive and I feel he would have approved.

“Our great uncle cared for ‘his boys’ and it is possible that if he had lived then he might have opened up his own house to let his comrades recover after the war.

“It was quite unusual for a man of his time to have such concern for the wellbeing of his soldiers.”

Camilla and Julia spent time with recovering veterans, hearing how the charity has helped them both physically and mentally on their road to recovery.

The centre features an adaptive gym, a reflective garden, a psychological well-being suite, support hub and en-suite bedrooms.

The captain’s descendants enjoyed a tour of the garden, which was funded after an appeal supported by the Gazette.

Steve Schollar, head of recovery, said: “The specialist teams here create the conditions for our heroes and their families to recover and move forward with their lives.

“I’m proud to say that Help for Heroes and Chavasse VC House continue to play a major part in the nation’s commitment to our veterans.”