List of Canadian Victoria Cross recipients

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The Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross

The following is a list of Canadian recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest war honour of the British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The Victoria Cross of Canada (Post-nominal letters "VC") is a military award for extraordinary valour and devotion to duty while facing a hostile force. It can be awarded to members of the Canadian Forces of any rank in any service, and to allies serving under or with Canadian military command; it is the highest honour in the Canadian honours system, placed before all other orders, decorations and medals, including the Order of Canada, in the Order of Precedence.[1] As of 1993 Canadians were no longer eligible for the British Victoria Cross, for the medal was replaced with a new Canadian Victoria Cross — it has yet to be awarded.[1] In appearance the new one is identical to the British medal, but the words are in Latin instead of English, as a compromise since both French and English could not easily fit on the medal.[2]

It was presented to 94 Canadians, or people closely associated with Canada, between its creation soon after the Crimean War and 1993 when the Canadian Victoria Cross was instituted. No Canadian has received either honour since 1945 though.[3] Newfoundlanders who were awarded the Victoria Cross prior to 1949 are listed under List of Newfoundlander Victoria Cross recipients as it was a separate country until this date. The majority of Canadian recipients were awarded the medal for actions in World War One with 71 awards. 16 recipients achieved the award for actions in World War Two. The remaining recipients were for actions in the Battle of Balaclava, the Indian rebellion of 1857 and the Second Boer War. The last living Canadian recipient of the British VC, "Smokey" Smith, died in August 2005.[4]

[edit] Recipients

      This along with the *, indicates that the Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously

Name Date of action Conflict Unit Place of action Notes
Algie, WallaceWallace Algie 1918* World War One 1st Battalion, CEF Cambrai, France
Barker, WilliamWilliam Barker 1918 World War One No. 201 Squadron RAF Forêt de Mormal, France
Barron, ColinColin Barron 1917 World War One 3rd Battalion, CEF Passchendaele, Belgium
Bazalgette, IanIan Bazalgette 1944 World War Two No. 115 Squadron RAF Trossy St. Maximin, France
Bellew, EdwardEdward Bellew 1915 World War One 7th Battalion, CEF Kerselaere, Belgium
Bent, PhilipPhilip Bent 1917* World War One The Leicestershire Regiment Polygon Wood, Belgium
Bishop, WilliamWilliam Bishop 1917 World War One No. 60 Squadron RAF Cambrai, France
Bourke, RolandRoland Bourke 1918 World War One Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Ostend, Belgium
Brereton, AlexanderAlexander Brereton 1918 World War One 8th Battalion, CEF Amiens, France
Brillant, JeanJean Brillant 1918* World War One 22nd Battalion, CEF Meharicourt, France
Brown, HarryHarry Brown 1917* World War One 10th Battalion, CEF Loos, France
Cairns, HughHugh Cairns 1918* World War One 46th Battalion, CEF Valenciennes, France
Campbell, FrederickFrederick Campbell 1915* World War One 1st Battalion, CEF Givenchy, France
Clarke, LeoLeo Clarke 1916* World War One 2nd Battalion Pozieres, France
Clark-Kennedy, WilliamWilliam Clark-Kennedy 1918 World War One 24th Battalion, CEF Fresnes, France
Cockburn, HampdenHampden Cockburn 1900 Second Boer War Royal Canadian Dragoons Komati River, South Africa
Combe, RobertRobert Combe 1917* World War One 27th Battalion, CEF Acheville, France
Coppins, FrederickFrederick Coppins 1918 World War One 8th Battalion, CEF Hackett Woods, France
Cosens, AubreyAubrey Cosens 1945 World War Two The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada Mooshof, Germany
Croak, JohnJohn Croak 1918* World War One 13th Battalion, CEF Amiens, France
Cruickshank, RobertRobert Cruickshank 1918 World War One London Regiment Jordan, Palestine [5]
Currie, DavidDavid Currie 1944 World War Two Royal Canadian Armoured Corps Battle of Falaise, France
De Wind, EdmundEdmund De Wind 1918* World War One Royal Irish Rifles Groagie, France [6]
Dinesen, ThomasThomas Dinesen 1918 World War One 42nd Battalion, CEF Parvillers, France [7]
Douglas, CampbellCampbell Douglas 1867 Indian rebellion of 1857 24th Regiment of Foot Little Andaman, India
Dunn, AlexanderAlexander Dunn 1854 Battle of Balaclava 33rd Regiment of Foot Balaclava, Crimea
Fisher, FrederickFrederick Fisher 1915* World War One 13th Battalion, CEF St. Julien, Belgium
Flowerdew, GordonGordon Flowerdew 1918* World War One Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Bois de Moreuil, France
Foote, JohnJohn Foote 1942 World War Two Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Dieppe, France
Good, HermanHerman Good 1918 World War One 13th Battalion, CEF Hangard Wood, France
Gray, RobertRobert Gray 1945* World War Two Fleet Air Arm Honshu, Japan
Gregg, MiltonMilton Gregg 1918 World War One Royal Canadian Regiment Cambrai, France
Hall, FrederickFrederick Hall 1915* World War One 27th Battalion, CEF Ypres, Belgium
Hall, WilliamWilliam Hall 1857 Indian rebellion of 1857 HMS Shannon Lucknow, India
Hanna, RobertRobert Hanna 1917 World War One 29th Battalion, CEF Lens, France
Harvey, FrederickFrederick Harvey 1917 World War One Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Guyencourt, France
Hobson, FrederickFrederick Hobson 1917* World War One 1st Battalion Lens, France
Hoey, CharlesCharles Hoey 1944 World War Two Royal Lincolnshire Regiment Ngakyedauk Pass, Burma (now Myanmar)
Holland, EdwardEdward Holland 1900 Second Boer War Royal Canadian Dragoons Komati River, South Africa
Holmes, ThomasThomas Holmes 1917 World War One 2nd Battalion Passchendaele, Belgium
Honey, SamuelSamuel Honey 1918* World War One 78th Battalion, CEF Bourlon Wood, France
Hornell, DavidDavid Hornell 1944 World War Two No. 162 Squadron RCAF Faroes, Atlantic
Hutcheson, BellendenBellenden Hutcheson 1918 World War One 75th Battalion, CEF Arras, France [8]
Kaeble, JosephJoseph Kaeble 1918* World War One 22nd Battalion, CEF Neuville-Vitasse, France
Kerr, GeorgeGeorge Kerr 1918 World War One 3rd Battalion, CEF Bourlon Wood, France
Kerr, JohnJohn Kerr 1916 World War One 49th Battalion, CEF Courcelette, France
Kinross, CecilCecil Kinross 1917 World War One 49th Battalion, CEF Passchendaele, Belgium
Knight, ArthurArthur Knight 1918* World War One 10th Battalion, CEF Villers-les-Cagnicourt, France
Konowal, FilipFilip Konowal 1917 World War One 47th Battalion, CEF Lens, France [9]
Learmonth, OkillOkill Learmonth 1917* World War One 2nd Battalion, CEF Loos, France
Lyall, GrahamGraham Lyall 1918 World War One 102nd Battalion, CEF Cambrai, France
MacDowell, ThainThain MacDowell 1917 World War One 38th Battalion, CEF Vimy Ridge, France
MacGregor, JohnJohn MacGregor 1918 World War One 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles Cambrai, France
Mahony, JohnJohn Mahony 1944 World War Two The Royal Westminster Regiment River Melfa, Italy
McKean, GeorgeGeorge McKean 1918 World War One 14th Battalion, CEF Gavrelle Sector, France
McKenzie, HughHugh McKenzie 1917* World War One Canadian Machine Gun Corps Meetscheele Spur, Belgium
McLeod, AlanAlan McLeod 1918* World War One No. 2 Squadron RFC Albert, France
Merrifield, WilliamWilliam Merrifield 1918 World War One 4th Battalion, CEF Abancourt, France
Merritt, CharlesCharles Merritt 1942 World War Two South Saskatchewan Regiment Dieppe, France
Metcalf, WilliamWilliam Metcalf 1918 World War One 16th Battalion, CEF Arras, France [8]
Milne, WilliamWilliam Milne 1917* World War One 16th Battalion, CEF Thelus, France
Miner, HarryHarry Miner 1918* World War One 58th Battalion, CEF Demuin, France
Mitchell, CoulsonCoulson Mitchell 1918 World War One 4th Canadian Engineers Canal de L'Escaut, France
Mullin, GeorgeGeorge Mullin 1917 World War One Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Passchendaele, Belgium [8]
Mynarski, AndrewAndrew Mynarski 1944* World War Two No. 419 Squadron RCAF Cambrai, France
Nickerson, WilliamWilliam Nickerson 1900 Second Boer War Royal Army Medical Corps Wakkerstroom, South Africa [5]
Nunney, ClaudeClaude Nunney 1918* World War One 38th Battalion, CEF Drocourt-Queant Line, France
O'Kelly, ChristopherChristopher O'Kelly 1917 World War One 52nd Battalion, CEF Passchendaele, Belgium
O'Leary, MichaelMichael O'Leary 1915 World War One Irish Guards Cuinchy, France [10]
O'Rourke, MichaelMichael O'Rourke 1917 World War One 7th Battalion, CEF Hill 70, France
Osborn, JohnJohn Osborn 1941 World War Two Winnipeg Grenadiers Mount Butler, Hong Kong
Pattison, JohnJohn Pattison 1917* World War One 50th Battalion, CEF Vimy Ridge, France
Pearkes, GeorgeGeorge Pearkes 1917 World War One 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles Passchendaele, Belgium
Peck, CyrusCyrus Peck 1918 World War One 16th Battalion, CEF Cagnicourt, France
Peters, FrederickFrederick Peters 1942 World War Two HMS Walney Oran, Algeria
Rayfield, WalterWalter Rayfield 1918 World War One 7th Battalion, CEF Arras, France
Reade, HerbertHerbert Reade 1857 Indian rebellion of 1857 61st Regiment of Foot Delhi, India
Richardson, ArthurArthur Richardson 1900 Second Boer War Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) Wolwespruit, South Africa
Richardson, JamesJames Richardson 1916* World War One 16th Battalion, CEF Somme, France
Robertson, JamesJames Robertson 1917* World War One 27th Battalion, CEF Passchendaele, Belgium
Rutherford, CharlesCharles Rutherford 1918 World War One 5th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles Monchy, France
Scrimger, FrancisFrancis Scrimger 1915 World War One Canadian Army Medical Corp St. Julien, Belgium
Shankland, RobertRobert Shankland 1917 World War One 43rd Battalion, CEF Passchendaele, Belgium
Sifton, EllisEllis Sifton 1917* World War One 18th Battalion, CEF Neuville-St.-Vaast, France
Sinton, JohnJohn Sinton 1916 World War One Indian Medical Service Orah Ruins, Mesopotamia [5]
Smith, ErnestErnest Smith 1944 World War Two Seaforth Highlanders of Canada River Savio, Italy
Spall, RobertRobert Spall 1918* World War One Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Parvillers, France
Strachan, HarcusHarcus Strachan 1917 World War One Fort Garry Horse Masnieres, France
Tait, JamesJames Tait 1918* World War One 78th Battalion, CEF Amiens, France
Tilston, FrederickFrederick Tilston 1945 World War Two Essex Scottish Regiment Hochwald Forest, Germany
Topham, FrederickFrederick Topham 1945 World War Two 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion Rhine, Germany
Triquet, PaulPaul Triquet 1943 World War Two 22nd Battalion Casa Berardi, Italy
Turner, RichardRichard Turner 1900 Second Boer War Royal Canadian Dragoons Komati River, South Africa
Wilkinson, ThomasThomas Wilkinson 1916* World War One Loyal North Lancashire Regiment La Boiselle, France
Young, JohnJohn Young 1918 World War One 87th Battalion, CEF Dury-Arras Sector, France
Zengel, RaphaelRaphael Zengel 1918 World War One 5th Battalion, CEF Warvillers, France [8]

[edit] References

General
Specific
  1. ^ a b Victoria Cross (Canadian version). Canadian Veterans affairs department. Retrieved on 2007-08-23.
  2. ^ Canadian Forces page on the medal. Canadian Armed Forces. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
  3. ^ Teotonio, Isabel. "Vets irate at Victoria Cross proposal", Toronto Star, 2007-03-07. Retrieved on 2007-07-12. 
  4. ^ "Ottawa pays respect to Smokey Smith", CBC News, 2005-08-09. Retrieved on 2007-11-16. 
  5. ^ a b c recipients were Canadians, but were serving in Other Army Units at the time of their VC act
  6. ^ although born in Ireland was enlisted in the Canadian army and he is considered Canadian at the time he won the medal
  7. ^ although a Danish citizen who enlisted in the Canadian army he is considered Canadian at the time he won the medal
  8. ^ a b c d although an American citizen who enlisted in the Canadian army, he is considered Canadian at the time he won the medal
  9. ^ although a Ukrainian citizen who enlisted in the Canadian army, he is considered Canadian at the time he won the medal.
  10. ^ Considered Irish, listed here due to residency in Canada
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