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Hugh Cairns , (4 December 1896 – 2 November 1918) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
He was 21 years old, and a sergeant in the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Hundred Days Offensive of the
was installed on the side of a building opposite the Place du Canada on the street that bears his name. Cairns has several buildings and locations named after him in his hometown of
''The London Gazette''
Hugh Cairns digitized service file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, Hugh Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross 1896 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from Northumberland People from Ashington Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal British emigrants to Canada Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers People from Saskatoon Burials in France
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and Commonwealth forces.
Background
He was born in Ashington, Northumberland, England. The Cairns family immigrated to Canada and settled inSaskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
in 1911 when he was 15 years old. He was a member of the Christ Church Choir,''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', volume 14 and as a keen footballer, he played for the Christ Church Intermediate Boys Football club, reaching the championship of the Sunday School League, scoring one goal in 104 matches. He also played for the St. Thomas Church team when they won the Saskatoon League Championship in 1915.
Hugh and his elder brother Albert enlisted in the army in August 1915. Cairns was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for his actions at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in April 1917. At the time the DCM was the second highest award for gallantry in the British honours system.
VC details
He was 21 years old, and a sergeant in the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
With the German surrender and armistice on 11 November, ten days later, Sergeant Cairns would prove to be the last of seventy-one Canadians to earn the Victoria Cross for his actions in the Great War. Cairns was also awarded the Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
by the Government of France.
Cairns is buried in the Auberchicourt
Auberchicourt () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic.
The communes coopera ...
British Cemetery, seven kilometres east of Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...
, France, roughly sixteen kilometres north of Cambrai, (Plot I, Row A, Grave 8).
Legacy
His Victoria Cross is displayed at theCanadian War Museum
The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in ad ...
in Ottawa, Canada.
In March 1936, the town of Valenciennes renamed a street in the vicinity of his actions on November 1, 1918 ''"Avenue du Sergent Cairns"'' and a plaque commemorating his valorous actionswas installed on the side of a building opposite the Place du Canada on the street that bears his name. Cairns has several buildings and locations named after him in his hometown of
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...
, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
, including Hugh Cairns V.C. School (an elementary school that opened in 1960), the Hugh Cairns V.C. Armoury, and the Footballer's Memorial, a statue of Cairns in Kinsmen Park. The school is located on Cairns Avenue, however the street was not named for Hugh Cairns, but rather for Saskatoon pioneer John Cairns.
References
Further reading
*''Monuments to Courage
David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...
'' (David Harvey, 1999)
*''The Register of the Victoria Cross
''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...
'' (This England, 1997)
*'' VCs of the First World War – The Final Days 1918'' (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)
* ''Canada's V.C.s'' (George C. Machum, 1956)''The London Gazette''
External links
Hugh Cairns digitized service file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, Hugh Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross 1896 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from Northumberland People from Ashington Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal British emigrants to Canada Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers People from Saskatoon Burials in France