Why Charlie?
Our campaign aims to raise a statue to commemorate a black individual in Oxford city center. Below are the reasons that we believe Charlie Hutchison is the most best choice for an individual which the statue should commemorate
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1) Somebody that was either black or mixed race
Oxford city is filled with countless statues of influential individuals from British history, the construction and display of which is a staple of our city's culture. However, despite having a presence in Oxford for hundreds of years, none of our statues commemorates the achievements of a black person. Our proposed project for a statue dedicated to a black individual is what makes our statue so unique. It is not often that a city as ancient as Oxford gets 'first times' like this.
2) Somebody that was denied their place in history
When looking for black individuals to commemorate, we preferred to look for somebody whose achievements have lacked widespread recognition. This gives our project more meaning, as it brings to light a side to history that otherwise would have been missed. For this reason we avoided historical figures such as Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela, as their achievements are already widely recognised and celebrated. Charlie Hutchison on the other hand is an invisible figure in history, only being discovered by historians in the past decade.
3) Somebody that was born in Oxfordshire
To give our proposed statue a much greater contribution to Oxford's local culture, we looked for a black person whose achievements have not been widely recognised, and was born in Oxfordshire.
By choosing a person who was born either inside or close to the city, it increases the meaningfulness of our project.
4) Someone that risked their life
The statue should commemorate someone that can inspire the widest number of people, and often the most inspirational people in history are those that put their life on the line to fight for what they believed in. Charlie Hutchison spent almost 10 years in endless wars, surviving frostbite, multiple shrapnel wounds, and even survived the disastrous Battle of Lopera (1936) in which over half the British volunteers he fought alongside were killed.
5) Someone that saved the lives of many people
Most historical figures who risked their lives were soldiers who fought in wars, but violence should not be the only quality that we should look for when it comes to commemorating a person.
Selfishly helping others and saving the lives of many people are qualities that can inspire people far more than a person's skill with a gun.
Charlie Hutchison saved countless lives as an ambulance driver in Spain, and in 1945 was part of a unit that delivered life-saving supplies to the survivors of Belsen concentration camp. Post-WWII he cared for foster children with his wife and family.