George Harry Mullin (VC)

George Harry Mullin VC, MM (15 August 1891 – 5 April 1963) was an American-Canadian soldier in the Canadian Army. He displayed bravery on the battlefields of World War I and was later promoted to Major. Born in Portland, Oregon, Mullin moved to Moosomin, Saskatchewan, at age two. He enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in December 1914 under service number 51339, joining Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. Deployed to the Western Front, Mullin worked as a sniper and scout. He received his first wound at Mount Sorrel in June 1916. During a night patrol near Vimy Ridge on 8 December 1916, he eliminated an enemy sentry. He dragged his wounded commander out of a bomb crater under fire, an action that earned him the Military Medal. On 30 October 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele, Mullin alone attacked a German pillbox that was pinning down his company. He cleared a sniper post with grenades, climbed onto the concrete roof, killed two machine gunners through an opening with his revolver and forced ten enemy soldiers to surrender.

His Victoria Cross citation, published in The London Gazette on 11 January 1918, reads:

"For most conspicuous bravery in attack, when single-handed he captured a commanding 'Pill-box' which had withstood the heavy bombardment and was causing heavy casualties to our forces and holding up the attack. He rushed a sniper's post in front, destroyed the garrison with bombs, and, crawling on top of the 'Pill-box,' he shot the two machine-gunners with his revolver. Sjt. Mullin then rushed to another entrance and compelled the garrison of ten to surrender. His gallantry and fearlessness were witnessed by many, and, although rapid fire was directed upon him, and his clothes riddled by bullets, he never faltered in his purpose, and he not only helped to save the situation, but also indirectly saved many lives."

Mullin received a commission as a lieutenant before the end of the war. After returning to Saskatchewan, he farmed near Moosomin. In 1934, he became Sergeant-at-Arms for the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly. During the Second World War, he served as a captain with the Veterans Guard of Canada, supervising prisoner-of-war camps. He resumed his legislative duties after the war, retiring as a major in the Canadian militia. Mullin died at his home in Regina on 5 April 1963.