Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson

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Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson VC (June 29, 1894, Bridgnorth, England - July 5, 1916), was a Canadian soldier who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Wilkinson was born and raised in his early years in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, England and attended Wellington College where he showed both academic and athletic prowess. The family moved to Canada prior to the war, and at the outbreak of the war in 1914 Wilkinson joined the 16th Battalion, Canadian Scottish. After the regiment arrived in England he transferred as a temporary Lieutenant to the 7th Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment as Gunnery Officer. He was in this role with the regiment during the opening days of the infamous Battle of the Somme when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross at the age of 22.

On 5 July 1916 at La Boiselle, France, during an attack, when a party of men from another unit were retiring without their machine-gun, Lieutenant Wilkinson with two of his men, got the gun into action and held up the enemy until relieved. Later he forced his way forward during a bombing attack and found four or five men from different units stopped by a wall of earth over which the enemy was throwing bombs. He at once mounted the machine-gun on top of the parapet and dispersed the bombers. Subsequently, in trying to bring in a wounded man, he was killed.

As his body was never recovered intact, Wilkinson is commemorated with thousands of other British and Commonwealth soldiers on the British Memorial to the Missing at Thiepval.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Imperial War Museum (London, England).