Francis Alexander Carron Scrimger, VC

How far would a doctor go to save one wounded man while enemy shells were falling around him? During the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, Captain Francis Alexander Caron Scrimger answered that question with an act of courage that earned him the Victoria Cross. He directed the evacuation of wounded soldiers from a threatened dressing station, carried a helpless officer through heavy fire, and refused to abandon him when he could go no farther.

Francis Alexander Caron Scrimger was born in Montreal, Quebec, and studied at McGill University, earning his medical degree in 1905. After further surgical training in Europe, he returned to Montreal, where he entered private practice and became associated with the Royal Victoria Hospital.

When the First World War began, Scrimger joined the Canadian Army Medical Corps and became medical officer of the 14th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, the Royal Montreal Regiment. His work placed him close to the front, where he treated wounded soldiers under the same artillery and rifle fire faced by the infantry.

His defining moment came on 25 April 1915 during the Second Battle of Ypres. Scrimger was operating an advanced dressing station when the area came under intense German shellfire. Rather than seek safety, he remained at his post and directed the removal of the wounded as the position became increasingly dangerous.

Among the casualties was Captain H. F. McDonald, who was too badly wounded to move without assistance. Scrimger carried him from a stable and tried to reach safety. When the bombardment became too severe and he could no longer carry the officer alone, Scrimger stayed beside him under fire until help arrived.

The Victoria Cross was announced in The London Gazette on 23 June 1915. The citation recognized Scrimger for directing the evacuation of the wounded, carrying a severely injured officer from danger, and showing continuous devotion to duty during the fighting from 22 to 25 April.

Scrimger later rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. After the war, he returned to medicine, taught surgery at McGill University, and became surgeon-in-chief of the Royal Victoria Hospital. His career linked distinguished military service with an equally important contribution to Canadian medicine.

Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Alexander Caron Scrimger died in Montreal on 13 February 1937. His legacy endures as a powerful example of medical courage under fire. At Ypres, bravery meant staying with the wounded, carrying them from danger, and refusing to leave another man behind.