Sergeant John McAulay, (27 December 1888 – 14 January 1956) was a Scottish policeman, soldier and 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.

Early life

He was born in

Kinghorn Kinghorn (; ) is a town and parish in Fife, Scotland. A seaside resort with two beaches, Kinghorn Beach and Pettycur Bay, plus a fishing port, it stands on the north shore of the Firth of Forth, opposite Edinburgh. Known as the place where K ...

Fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

on 27 December 1888 the son of John McAulay and his wife Isabella. The family moved to 4 Gillespie Crescent in

Plean Plean is a village, in the Stirling council area of central Scotland, located on the main A9 road from Falkirk. At the 2001 census, Plean had a population of 1,740. Plean has some historic buildings, some council houses and an estate. Landmark ...

(near

Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...

) and he was educated at Plean Primary School. He left school around 1901 and began working as a coal-miner. Being both tall and strong he left the pits to join the police force in 1911 and was based in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

. At the onset of 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 ...

he was one of the first volunteers and joined the Scots Guards on 9 September 1914.

Details

He was 28 years old, and a

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 1st Battalion,

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the

when the following deed took place at the Battle of Cambrai for which he was awarded the VC. After the war he resumed his career in the Glasgow Police, serving in the

Maryhill Maryhill () is an area in the north-west of Glasgow in Scotland. A former independent burgh and the heart of an eponymous local authority ward, its territory is bisected by Maryhill Road, part of the A81 road which runs for a distance of ro ...

district, rising to the rank of Inspector before retiring in 1948. He died at the age of 67at home, 915 Aikenhead Road, Burnside, Glasgow on 14 January 1956 and is buried in New Eastwood Cemetery in Glasgow (section L-VII lair 139.

Family

He was married to Catherine Thomson (1890-1963). Prior to this, he was first married to Isabella Horn or Chitticks on 22nd April 1919. Isabella (or Bella) sadly died in childbirth 27th December 1920. Their child John died 3 days later

Freemasonry

He was Initiated into Freemasonry in Lodge Greyfriars No.1221, (Glasgow, Scotland) on 13 May 1924.The Great War 1914-1918 Victoria Cross Freemasons. Granville Angell. 2014. pp.319 - 322.

Medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Scots Guards RHQ), London.

References

Bibliography

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Glasgow)''

''(photo)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:McAulay, John 1888 births 1956 deaths Military personnel from Fife People from Kinghorn British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Scots Guards soldiers British Army personnel of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Scottish police officers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Officers in Scottish police forces