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NewsColony The last Victoria Cross hero before VE Day who was so brave even the enemy marvelled By late April 1945, the German army was in retreat and, after nearly six long years of war, the Allies were finally poised to defeat Adolf Hitler. For many British servicemen, particularly those who had served for all or most of the Second World War, thoughts inevitably turned to surviving the last battles and returning safely to their loved ones. Yet for one man, Guardsman Edward Charlton of the Irish Guards, his finest hour was yet to come. For just days before Hitler’s suicide and, later, Germany ‘s surrender, he would display such outstanding bravery that he would be awarded the final Victoria Cross (VC) of the war in Europe.  His decoration was all the more remarkable because it relied heavily on the testimony of enemy soldiers who, once they were taken prisoner, told how they witnessed Charlton’s last stand. Writing now, just days before the 75th anniversary of VE Day on May 8,...