Arthur George Knight VC (26 June 1886 – 3 September 1918) was an English-

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

soldier. Knight was a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. Knight was one of seven Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions on one single day, 2 September 1918, for actions across the 30 km long Drocourt-Quéant Line near

Arras, France Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

. The other six recipients were

Bellenden Hutcheson Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson (16 December 1883 – 9 April 1954) was an American-born Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC) during the First World War. The VC is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded ...

, William Henry Metcalf,

Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney (24 December 1892 – 18 September 1918) was a Canadians, Canadian soldier. Nunney was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Co ...

, Cyrus Wesley Peck, Walter Leigh Rayfield and John Francis Young.

Details

Knight emigrated from England to Canada in 1911 and enlisted in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

in December 1914 at Regina, Saskatchewan. In November 1917, Knight was awarded the

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

by his Majesty Leopold III, King of the Belgians, for his actions. Knight was 32 years old, and an acting

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

in the 10th Battalion, CEF during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 2 September 1918 at Villers-les-Cagnicourt,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, when a bombing section which he was leading was held up, Sergeant Knight went forward alone, bayoneting several machine-gunners and trench mortar crews, and forcing the rest to retire. Then bringing forward a Lewis gun he directed his fire on the retreating enemy; his platoon went in pursuit and the sergeant, seeing about 30 of the enemy going into a tunnel leading off the trench, again went forward alone, killing an officer and two NCOs and taking 20 prisoners. After this, again single-handed, he routed another hostile party. Later he was fatally wounded.

Further information

Knight is buried at Dominion Cemetery in Hendecourt-les-Cagnicourt,

Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments of France, with 890, and is the ...

, France. The cemetery is roughly three kilometres northeast of the village (plot I, row F, grave 15). His Victoria Cross is on display in The Calgary Highlanders gallery at The Military Museums, on loan from the

Glenbow Museum The Glenbow Museum is an art and history local museum, regional museum in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The museum focuses on Western Canada, Western Canadian history and culture, including Indigenous perspectives. The Glenbow was establ ...

in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A plaque commemorating Knight's VC action was dedicated in Villers-les-Cagnicourt in April 2015 by a delegation of

The Calgary Highlanders The Calgary Highlanders (10th Canadians) is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The regiment is a part-time reserve unit, under the command of 41 Canadian Brigade Gr ...

References

External links

Arthur George Knight's digitized service fileCanadian Great War projectBiography of Arthur George Knight
on DND'S Directorate of History and Heritage
Arthur George Knight
on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

'' history of the Tenth Battalion in the First World War include biography of Arthur George Knight''
Legion Magazine-The Magnificent Seven
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Knight, Arthur George 1886 births 1918 deaths Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Soldiers from Haywards Heath English emigrants to Canada Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Canadian Army soldiers Calgary Highlanders Military personnel from West Sussex