Okill Massey Learmonth

The Canadian Hero Who Refused to Leave Hill 70

Mortally wounded, under relentless enemy fire, and facing a fierce German counterattack, Major Okill Massey Learmonth refused to abandon his men. Standing exposed on a trench parapet, he hurled grenades at advancing German soldiers, even catching enemy grenades and throwing them back. His extraordinary courage during the Battle of Hill 70 in August 1917 would earn him the Victoria Cross, but he would never live to receive it.

Born on 20 February 1894 in Quebec City, Canada, Okill Massey Learmonth was working in the Quebec Treasury Department when the First World War changed the course of his life. Enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 29 September 1914, he sailed overseas with Canada's First Contingent and reached France in February 1915. Serving with the 2nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (Eastern Ontario), he rose from the ranks to become an officer, enduring the brutal conditions of trench warfare and recovering from wounds sustained in June 1916.

Learmonth had already demonstrated exceptional battlefield leadership before his final battle. During the fighting at Fresnoy in May 1917, he found himself the senior battalion officer present after his unit reached its objective. Under heavy enemy fire, he directed the consolidation of captured positions, personally conducted dangerous reconnaissance, and helped repel a determined counterattack. His composure, initiative, and leadership earned him the Military Cross, announced in the London Gazette, Supplement 30234, on 14 August 1917.

Four days later, on 18 August 1917, Learmonth faced his greatest test. During a German counterattack against Canadian positions at Hill 70, near Lens, France, his company was momentarily caught off guard. He immediately counterattacked, personally engaged the enemy, and rallied his soldiers. Although seriously wounded in the arm and leg, he continued directing the defence from an exposed position, inspiring his men to resist. Even after his injuries made further fighting impossible, he refused evacuation until he had given his junior officers their final instructions and transferred command.

Learmonth died of his wounds on 19 August 1917, aged just 23. For his exceptional bravery, determination, and devotion to duty, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest decoration for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. His official citation, published in the London Gazette, Supplement 30372, recognised both his fearless resistance and his refusal to relinquish responsibility for his men.

His First World War service is also represented by the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. He rests at Nœux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery in France.

Major Okill Massey Learmonth's legacy is defined not simply by the decorations he earned, but by the leadership he demonstrated when his own life was slipping away. At Hill 70, his final concern was not his survival. It was the safety of the soldiers who depended on him.