William Angus

At Givenchy, on 12 June 1915, Lance-Corporal William Angus left the safety of his trench and crossed ground swept by German bombs and rifle fire to rescue a wounded officer. He returned with the officer alive, having sustained about forty wounds. The extraordinary act made the Scottish infantryman one of the most celebrated Victoria Cross recipients of the First World War.

William Angus was born in Armadale, West Lothian, on 28 February 1888. His family moved to Carluke, Lanarkshire, while he was young. After leaving school, he worked as a miner and pursued professional football, playing for Glasgow Celtic in 1911 before captaining Wishaw Athletic. During the First World War, he joined the 8th (Lanark) Battalion, Highland Light Infantry, and volunteered for attachment to the 8th Battalion, Royal Scots. He arrived in France on 17 February 1915 and was wounded at Festubert in May. Following hospital treatment, he returned to the front near Givenchy.

His defining act of courage followed a dangerous trench raid on 11–12 June 1915. Lieutenant James Martin had been left wounded close to the German position. Angus voluntarily went out under intense bomb and rifle fire to rescue him. The official Victoria Cross citation, published in the London Gazette on 29 June 1915, praised his conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. It recorded that he had virtually no chance of escaping enemy fire and sustained about forty wounds, several extremely serious. His injuries cost him sight in his left eye and part of his foot and calf. King George V personally presented him with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on 30 August 1915.

Unable to return to front-line duty, Angus later served with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) on recruiting duties, attaining the rank of Acting Sergeant. He married Mary Ann Nugent in 1917 and raised five children. After the war, he established a haulage business with his brother-in-law. The family briefly emigrated to Australia in 1927, but returned to Britain the following year. Angus subsequently worked for the Racecourse Betting Control Board until 1949.

In retirement, Angus returned to Carluke, where he became a justice of the peace and served as president of Carluke Rovers Football Club. In 1957, he joined fellow Victoria Cross recipient David Hunter in protesting against the proposed amalgamation of the Highland Light Infantry and Royal Scots Fusiliers. Known locally with affection as "The VC", Angus remained a respected figure in his community until his death at Law Hospital, Carluke, on 14 June 1959.

His six confirmed honours comprise the Victoria Cross, 1914–15 Star, British War Medal 1914–1920, Victory Medal 1914–1919, King George VI Coronation Medal 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953. His medals are held by the National War Museum of Scotland. William Angus VC is remembered for an extraordinary act of selflessness that remains a lasting chapter in the history of Scottish military gallantry and the Western Front.