William Johnstone Milne VC (December 21, 1892 – April 9, 1917), was a Canadian soldier in World War I who posthumously received the Victoria Cross for the highest gallantry against the enemy during action in France on 9 April 1917.
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Milne was born December 21, 1892 in Scotland and moved to Canada in 1910. He worked on a farm near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan before joining the army.
Milne was 24 years old, and a private in the 16th (The Canadian Scottish) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. On 9 April 1917 near Thelus, France, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Milne saw an enemy machine-gun firing upon fellow troops. Crawling on hands and knees he managed to reach the gun, kill the crew, and capture the gun. Milne later repeated this action against a second enemy machine-gun crew, but was killed shortly afterwards.
Four soldiers earned the Victoria Cross in the Battle of Vimy Ridge; the others were Thain Wendell MacDowell, Ellis Wellwood Sifton and John George Pattison.
Milne's Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.