George Burdon McKean

He was rejected for military service three times. Within a few years, he had earned the Victoria Cross, Military Cross and Military Medal. Captain George Burdon McKean VC, MC, MM became one of the most highly decorated Canadian soldiers of the First World War, building a remarkable reputation as a scout, trench raider and battlefield leader whose courage repeatedly placed him at the centre of the fighting. Born on 4 July 1888 at Willington, County Durham, England, McKean emigrated to Canada in 1902. He eventually settled in Alberta, studied at Robertson College and the University of Alberta, and worked with the Presbyterian church in Edmonton. Small in stature, at about five feet six inches and 120 pounds, he was reportedly rejected for military service three times before finally enlisting at Edmonton on 23 January 1915 with the 51st Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. He reached Britain in April 1916 and, after transferring to the 14th Battalion, Canadian Infantry, later associated with the Royal Montreal Regiment, went to France in June. McKean quickly proved particularly suited to the dangerous work of reconnaissance. He frequently crossed into no man's land to observe enemy positions and return with intelligence. As a corporal he earned the Military Medal for his service around Bully-Grenay, near Lens, where he was wounded while conducting scouting operations. The award was gazetted on 26 April 1917. Unlike his later Victoria Cross and Military Cross, a detailed individual citation for his Military Medal was not published in the London Gazette, but surviving accounts consistently connect the award with his hazardous scouting work in this sector. His performance also helped lead to a commission, which he received in April 1917. His defining action came during the night of 27 to 28 April 1918 near Gavrelle, France. Lieutenant McKean was leading scouts during a raid when intense machine-gun and grenade fire from a strongly defended trench block stopped his party. Recognising that failure to silence the position could endanger the entire operation, McKean ran into the open and, in the words of his Victoria Cross citation, acted with "utter disregard of danger." He leapt head first over the obstruction and landed among the enemy. After killing two defenders, he held the position while waiting for more bombs, then attacked another block, killed two more enemy soldiers, captured four and forced the remaining machine-gun party into a dugout that was subsequently destroyed. His official citation concluded that his bravery had saved many lives and that "His leadership at all times has been beyond praise." For this extraordinary action, McKean was awarded the Victoria Cross, announced in the London Gazette on 28 June 1918. His courage at Gavrelle was not simply an isolated act of individual bravery. It demonstrated the qualities that repeatedly marked his wartime service: initiative, aggression under fire and a willingness to accept extreme personal risk when the lives of his men depended upon immediate action. Yet his combat record was still not complete. During the Canadian advance near Cagnicourt on 1 and 2 September 1918, McKean served as scout officer through two days of heavy fighting. Despite being wounded early in the action, he continued forward, led the battalion's advance, supplied accurate reports and rallied soldiers who had lost their officers. Entering Cagnicourt with only three men, he spotted more than 100 enemy troops withdrawing from the village. McKean moved rapidly to their flank, cut off their escape and compelled the entire group to surrender. He continued sending reports until blood loss finally exhausted him. His Military Cross citation described his conduct throughout as "magnificent." The award was published in the London Gazette on 1 February 1919. The wound at Cagnicourt prevented McKean from returning to his battalion before the Armistice. During his recovery he was painted by Canadian war artist Frederick Varley, and he later recorded his experiences in Scouting Thrills, published in 1919. After his Canadian wartime service he continued his military career, joining the Corps of Military Accountants, serving in Egypt and eventually retiring with the rank of Captain in March 1926. McKean's life ended only months later. On 26 November 1926 he was critically injured when a circular saw broke apart at a sawmill he had acquired at Cuffley, Hertfordshire. He died from his injuries on 28 November 1926, aged 38, and was buried in Brighton Extra-Mural Cemetery. His Victoria Cross and medal group are preserved in Canada, while memorials, his wartime portrait and the naming of Mount McKean continue to commemorate his service. George Burdon McKean's story is remarkable not because of a single moment at Gavrelle, but because courage followed him throughout his service. From a scout crawling through no man's land, to a lieutenant attacking fortified trenches alone, to a wounded officer compelling more than 100 enemy soldiers to surrender, McKean repeatedly demonstrated the leadership and personal bravery for which the Victoria Cross, Military Cross and Military Medal were awarded.