Canada & the Victoria Cross
Valour To The End: Part 18 of 18
During the World War II campaign in Northwest Europe, which lasted from D-Day, June 6, 1944, until the German surrender in May 1945, four Canadian soldiers–David Vivian Currie, Aubrey Cosens, Frederick Albert Tilston and Frederick George Topham–earned [...]
November 1, 2006, by Arthur Bishop
The Airmen of ‘44: Part 17 of 18
All three Canadian airmen awarded the Victoria Cross in World War II were cited for their valour within two months of each other during the summer of 1944–all of them posthumously. They were Andrew Charles Mynarski, on the night of June 12-13, David [...]
September 1, 2006, by Arthur Bishop
Three In Italy: Part 16 of 18
As a result of the Allied conquest of Sicily in July and August 1943, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was overthrown. Although the new Italian government surrendered on Sept. 3, the Germans immediately seized control of the mainland. That same day–during [...]
July 1, 2006, by Arthur Bishop
Hong Kong, Dieppe And Burma: Part 15 of 18
In addition to the Victoria Cross earned by Hammy Gray just days before World War II ended (Valour In The Navy, March/April), there were two other Canadian VCs awarded for valour in the hostilities against the Japanese. Both recipients were soldiers.
The first of these was earned [...]
May 1, 2006, by Arthur Bishop
Valour In The Navy: Part 14 of 18
All three Canadian naval recipients of the Victoria Cross earned the decoration while serving with the Royal Navy. One was for bravery in World War I, the other two were made for actions in WW II.
Born in London, England, on Nov. 28, 1885, Rowland Richard [...]
March 1, 2006, by Arthur Bishop
Securing Victory: Part 13 of 18
Following the capture of the Drocourt-Quéant Line, the Allies launched a knock-out blow to end the war with a massive breakthrough on a front stretching 180 miles from Bruges, Belgium, in the [...]
January 1, 2006, by Arthur Bishop
The Magnificent Seven: Part 12 of 18
Sept. 2, 1918, stands out as a red-letter day for Canada and the Victoria Cross. On that date, seven men earned the VC while fighting with Canadian units east of Arras, France. The day also goes down on record as the one in which Canadians captured [...]
November 1, 2005, by Arthur Bishop
On The Offensive In 1918: Part 11 of 18
The only award of the Victoria Cross to a Canadian in World War I outside the European theatre stems from heroic action in the Middle East in May 1918. It happened during a vicious battle for the occupation of Jerusalem and the capture of Jericho [...]
September 1, 2005, by Arthur Bishop
Cambrai And The Great Retreat: Part 10 of 18
November 1917 saw the beginning of the turning point in the fortunes of World War I. The Russian Revolution earned Germany peace with the Bolsheviks, which freed up enough troops from the east to bolster their Western Front strength to 177 divisions. This seriously upset the balance between the German and Allied forces, who had been forced to divert 11 divisions to the Italian Front and were thinly spread with [...]
July 1, 2005, by Arthur Bishop
The Passchendaele Nine Plus One: Part 9 of 18
The battle for the Belgian crossroads village of Passchendaele was one of the bloodiest battles of all time. Winston Churchill called it “a forlorn expenditure of valour and life without equal in futility.” The sad part is that it never would have happened if Canadian Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie had been successful in having it [...]
