Hugh McDonald McKenzie (5 December 1885 – 30 October 1917) was a Canadian soldier who served during World War I. McKenzie was a 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. McKenzie received the award posthumously for his actions during an attack that took place during the Second Battle of Passchendaele in October 1917.

Early life

McKenzie was born in Liverpool, in the United Kingdom, on 5 December 1885. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Inverness, in Scotland. After his father died, the family moved to Dundee and McKenzie later found work with the Caledonian Railway Company. He emigrated to Canada in 1911, living with his wife, Marjorie, in North Bay, Ontario.

He was 31 years old, and a lieutenant when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

:On 30 October 1917 at the Meetscheele Spur, near Passchendaele, Belgium, Lieutenant McKenzie was "in charge of a section of four machine guns accompanying the infantry in an attack. Seeing that all the officers and most of the NCOs of an infantry company had become casualties and that the men were hesitating before a nest of enemy machine-guns, he handed over his command to an NCO, rallied the infantry, organised an attack and captured the strong-point". As machine-gun fire from a pill-box nearby inflicted further casualties on the advancing Canadians, McKenzie conducted a brief reconnaissance of the position and after placing down troops in fire support positions, he led a frontal attack on the position. The pill-box was subsequently captured but McKenzie was killed in the effort.

When the award of his Victoria Cross was announced in the London Gazette on 12 February 1918, his surname was misspelled as "Mackenzie."

thumb|Centenary memorial at Our Lady and St Nicholas church, Liverpool, unveiled 30 October 2017

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

References

Further reading

  • Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
  • The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
  • Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
  • VCs of the First World War: Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)
  • Hugh McDonald McKenzie's digitized service file
  • Hugh McDonald McKenzie biography on DND's Directorate of History and Heritage
  • Short biography of Hugh McDonald McKenzie on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial
  • Legion Magazine Article on Hugh McKenzie