William Johnstone Milne

William Johnstone Milne
Born	21 December 1892 Cambusnethan, Wishaw, Scotland
Died	9 April 1917 (aged 24) near Thelus, Vimy Ridge, France
Allegiance	Canada
Service / branch	Canadian Expeditionary Force
Years of service	1915–1917
Rank	Private
Unit	16th Battalion, CEF
Battles / wars	First World War Western Front Nivelle Offensive Battle of Arras Battle of Vimy Ridge  †
Awards	Victoria Cross

William Johnstone Milne VC (21 December 1892 – 9 April 1917) was a First World War Canadian soldier. Milne was a posthumous recipient of 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. He received the VC for his actions at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 9 April 1917.

Details

Milne was born on 21 December 1892 in Scotland and moved to Canada in 1910. He worked on a farm near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan before joining the army in September 1915.

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, where his actions led to the award of the Victoria Cross.

His citation reads:

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty in attack. On approaching the first objective, Pte. Milne observed an enemy machine gun firing on our advancing troops. Crawling on hands and knees, he succeeded in reaching the gun, killing the crew with bombs, and capturing the gun. On the line re-forming, he again located a machine gun in the support line, and stalking this second gun as he had done the first, he succeeded in putting the crew out of action and capturing the gun. His wonderful bravery and resource on these two occasions undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his comrades. Pte. Milne was killed shortly after capturing the second gun.^[1]

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 body was never found. He is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial.

The medal

Milne's Victoria Cross is in the collection of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.^[2]

References

1. "No. 30122". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1917. p. 5705.
2. "MILNE, WILLIAM JOHNSTONE". Canadian War Museum. Retrieved 15 January 2024.

Bibliography

• Gliddon, Gerald (2012) [1998]. Arras and Messines 1917. VCs of the First World War. The History Press. ISBN 978-0-7524-6604-0.

External links

• William Johnstone Milne's digitized service file
• William Johnstone Milne on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
• Short biography of William Johnstone Milne on DND's Directorate of History and Heritage
• The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) Warrant Officers' and Sergeants' Mess (Private William Johnstone Milne entry)
• News Item (Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) regimental museum VC exhibition)
• Legion Magazine Article on William Johnstone Milne
• William Johnstone Milne at Find a Grave
• Canadian Scottish Museum