On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, many Canadians set aside two minutes of silence to remember the brave soldiers who fought for our freedom.
This moment serves as a poignant reminder that Canada has been and continues to be home to many ordinary men and women who have distinguished themselves through remarkable actions and exceptional bravery.
From the teenager who braved a hail of enemy bullets while nursing a badly broken arm to deliver a message that would save numerous troops, to the female combat soldier who gave her life to successfully take down Taliban insurgents, here is a small sample of some of Canada’s most courageous war heroes.
The Officer Who Charged Enemy Machine Guns
Capt. John MacGregor, 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles, Canadian Expeditionary Force — WWI
Sept. 29–Oct. 3, 1918
When his company’s progress was impeded by intense German gunfire near Cambrai in France, Capt. John MacGregor bravely charged the machine guns wielding only a rifle and bayonet. He single-handedly put the enemy crews out of action, killing four and taking eight prisoners.After reorganizing his command, MacGregor assumed leadership of nearby troops to continue his advance under heavy fire.
His persistence paid off. With MacGregor at the helm, his company embarked on a risky daylight reconnaissance mission that enabled them to seize control of Neuville-St-Rémy.
The 30-year-old was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery during the harrowing five-day period, but it was not his only reward. He also earned the Distinguished Conduct Medal as a private, the Military Cross (MC) as a lieutenant, and a Bar to his MC as a captain.
MacGregor, who served in both world wars, settled in Powell River, B.C. He died in 1952.
The Soldier Who Took on a Machine Gun With a Rifle
Private Cecil John Kinross, 49th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force — WWI
Oct. 30, 1917
Private Cecil John Kinross’s company came under intense German artillery and machine gun fire near Passchendaele in Belgium.After carefully assessing the situation, he removed all of his gear except for his rifle and a bandolier of ammunition, and set out alone across the open terrain in broad daylight, boldly charging the German machine gun.
The 22-year-old soldier killed the crew of six, and destroyed the gun. Inspired by his efforts, his company advanced an additional 300 metres to secure a crucial new position in the battle.
Kinross fought fiercely throughout the day until being seriously wounded. The severity of his wounds did not allow him to return to front-line duties, but his heroism earned him the Victoria Cross.
Mount Kinross, in the Rocky Mountains near Jasper, Alta, was named in his honour. He eventually settled in Lougheed, where he died in 1957.
The Teenage Messenger Who Braved Enemy Fire
Private Harry Brown, 10th Infantry Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force — WWI
October 1917
In the midst of a fierce German counter-attack that had overwhelmed his unit, Private Harry Brown and a fellow soldier were tasked with the urgent objective of breaching enemy lines to access his Battalion headquarters to request reinforcements.Brown suffered a shattered arm and his companion was killed during the perilous effort to make it to headquarters, forcing the 19-year-old to race through a hail of artillery fire alone to deliver his life-or-death message.
Upon reaching headquarters he was so exhausted that he fell down the dugout steps, the dispatch clutched in his hand. He was able to stay conscious just long enough to utter the words “important message.” The Gananoque, Ont., resident died just hours later.
He was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for preventing “many casualties.”
The Pilot Who Fought While His Plane Was on Fire
Lt. Robert Hampton Gray, Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm — WWII
Aug. 9, 1945
Lt. Robert Hampton Gray led a squadron of eight Corsair fighters from HMS Formidable on a mission targeting Japanese enemy ships in Onagawa Wan. Each aircraft was loaded with two 500-pound bombs.As Gray launched his attack, he was met with intense anti-aircraft fire from five warships, resulting in his fighter being hit almost instantly. The strike dislodged one of his bombs and set fire to the plane.
The 23-year-old pilot persisted in his offensive despite the damage and, with his remaining bomb, scored a direct hit on the Japanese escort vessel Amakusa, causing it to sink.
Instead of executing evasive manoeuvres to escape enemy fire, his aircraft veered starboard, rolled onto its back, and plunged into the bay, prompting speculation that Gray was wounded during his assault on the target.
He did not survive and was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. He also received the Distinguished Service Cross for sinking a Japanese destroyer on July 28, 1945.
The Chaplain Who Became a POW to Tend the Wounded
Honorary Capt. John Weir Foote, Royal Hamilton Light Infantry — WWII
Aug. 19, 1942
Capt. John Weir Foote landed on the shores of northern France during the ill-fated amphibious attack by the Allies on the German-occupied port of Dieppe. The 38-year-old chaplain assisted the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry’s medical officer in caring for the wounded at the regimental aid post.Despite the relative safety of his location, he regularly ventured out to the open beach where he offered first aid and administered morphine injections to ease the suffering of the many wounded men.
He later carried injured soldiers from the regimental aid station to the planes waiting to evacuate the surviving members of the raiding force. Foote declined an opportunity to leave and instead remained to minister to those who were left behind, becoming a prisoner of war with them.
The Madoc, Ont., native was the first-ever Canadian chaplain to be awarded the Victoria Cross. He died in Hamilton in 1988.
The Private Who Took on a Tank to Save His Friends
Private Ernest ‘Smokey’ Smith, Seaforths Highlanders — WWII
Oct. 21–22, 1944
Private Ernest “Smokey” Smith distinguished himself as the only Canadian private in World War II to be awarded the Victoria Cross after almost single-handedly repelling German tanks and soldiers in Savio during the Italian campaign.A contingent from the Seaforths Highlanders positioned on the German side of the Savio River was attempting to secure the bridgehead when it was suddenly counter-attacked by three German tanks, two self-propelled guns, and approximately 30 troops.
Smith led his PIAT (anti-tank projector) group of two men across an open field to establish a strategic defensive position, despite intense enemy fire. The move left them face to face with an approaching German tank, its machine guns unleashing a barrage of bullets that wounded one of his companions.
Smith put himself in harm’s way, just 30 feet from the German tank, to fire the anti-tank projector. His shot disabled the tank, but left him vulnerable to the charge of 10 soldiers shooting Schmeissers and lobbing grenades. Without hesitation, Smith advanced onto the roadway firing his tommy gun at point-blank range, killing four Germans and driving the remainder back.
Within moments another tank opened fire while additional German troops closed in on Smith’s position.
He stood his ground with tommy gun blazing until the enemy beat a hasty retreat. His fearless actions are credited with allowing his battalion to consolidate the bridgehead position that led to the eventual capture of San Giorgio Di Cesena and a further advance to the Ronco River.
The B.C. native re-enlisted in the Korean War and stayed in the army until 1964. He retired as a sergeant. He died in Vancouver in 2005 at the age of 91.
The First Female Combat Soldier to Pay the Ultimate Price
Capt. Nichola Goddard, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry — Afghanistan
May 17, 2006
Capt. Nichola Goddard was tasked with addressing the threat posed by a Taliban faction that was assembling in the Panjwayi district, south of Kandahar.As the commanding officer of 200 Canadian and Afghan troops, it was up to Goddard to call out coordinates to her regiment’s 155 millimetre artillery pieces and the American Apache helicopters overhead.
Her light armoured vehicle (LAV) could be seen zipping back and forth along combat lines throughout the day’s engagement as she continually looked for ways to gain the advantage for her troops.
As Goddard and her team advanced toward a mosque, they were ambushed by militants and her vehicle was deliberately targeted.
Goddard was standing in the turret of the LAV, leaving head and shoulders exposed, and she was struck in the back of the head with shrapnel when rocket-propelled grenades hit her vehicle. The 26-year-old died instantly, but her troops took down the remaining insurgents, killing 40 and capturing 20.
Goddard was the first female Canadian soldier to be killed in combat. At the time of her death, she was also the highest-ranking Canadian soldier to have died since the military’s deployment to Afghanistan. She was the 16th Canadian to die in that conflict.
The Soldier Whose ‘Suicidal’ Charge Saved a Platoon
Sgt. Patrick Tower, 9 Platoon of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry — Afghanistan
Aug. 3, 2006
It all began with a routine operation that went wrong. A small group of Canadian troops in the Pashmul region of Afghanistan were given orders to clear Taliban fighters out of a longtime stronghold. But faulty intel led the soldiers directly into an ambush with 200 Taliban insurgents firing at them.Upon discovering that the acting platoon commander had been killed, Tower took command of the battered unit, leading a successful extraction of the team despite unrelenting small arms and rocket-propelled grenade attacks.
The survival of the remaining platoon members is attributed to Tower’s actions. He is the first recipient of the Star of Military Valour for his role in averting a massacre.
