The Attack
Bill Speakman and the rest of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers were attacked on November 4, 1951 by Chinese soldiers. The wave brought heavy artillery, and the off-guard assault bombarded their position. The Chinese practically overran the King’s Own Scottish Borderers.
Seeing that the entire unit was losing ground, Private Speakman took charge. Rather than preparing a sudden defense, he took the initiative to fight back. He led a counter-attack without orders and six others joined him. They grabbed handfuls of grenades and charged the Chinese.
Standing at six and a half feet tall, Bill Speakman was dominant on the battlefield. He hurled himself into warfare and launched grenades at every opportunity. In November, the ground was frozen in Korea, which caused the grenades to bounce and land effectively for Private Speakman and the other brave soldiers.
In fact, he recalls that he was in hand-to-hand combat for the majority of the fight. Bill Speakman remembers there was barely any time to pull back the bolt of a rifle. The Chinese attack was massive, and Private Speakman ran out of grenades. Although he slowed down the enemy, the incoming Chinese continued to fight. What happened next is nothing short of a miracle.
Private Speakman and the other British soldiers were lucky enough to indulge in a beer every now and again, even in Korea. Therefore, cases of beer were sent to the front lines and it just so happens that on November 4, 1951, there were plenty of empty bottles lying around.
Without hesitating, he grabbed the bottles and started throwing them at the enemy. Private Speakman was tall and strong; it may seem like a silly idea regarding weapons, but with no other options, the dominant soldier whipped the glass bottles forcefully at his attackers.
His quick thinking proved to help his effort. The effective strategy allowed his unit to move to a better position rather than be completely swamped by the Chinese wave. During the courageous act, Private Speakman was wounded in his leg. He boldly continued to fight and threw objects until his entire squad made it to a safer area.
His Legacy
Because of his heroic efforts, Bill Speakman earned the first-ever Victoria Cross from the Korean War. King George VI initially put forth the award, but Queen Elizabeth II had the honor of giving it to Private Speakman. It was her first time as well, making it a special moment for both.
Upon returning home to Altrincham, the hero received a parade in his name. Loved ones cleaned his home, and the school kids even got the day off to celebrate Private Speakman. He is still viewed as a national treasure, and rightfully so. The selfless soldier served in the Army until 1967. Along with the Korean War, Bill Speakman fought in the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesia Confrontation, and the Aden Emergency.
In 2015, he joined a group of fellow countrymen and returned to South Korea at the age of 88. Bill Speakman donated his Victoria Cross to South Korea because he believed his heroics started there and wanted to leave it there. Although still alive as of 2017, he is nearing the end of his days and the hardened warrior desired future generations to equally enjoy his honor.