William Merrifield

The Canadian Hero Who Faced Two Machine Guns Alone

Two German machine guns had brought his men to a halt. Already wounded, one Canadian sergeant refused to retreat and attacked both positions alone. His extraordinary courage would earn him the Victoria Cross, but this was not the first time William Merrifield had risked his life to save others.

Born on 9 October 1890 in Brentwood, Essex, England, William Merrifield immigrated to Canada as a boy and eventually settled in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Before the First World War, he worked on the railway. In 1914, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and subsequently served with the 4th Battalion (Central Ontario) on the Western Front.

His first remarkable act of gallantry came not while attacking the enemy, but while saving his fellow soldiers. During the Battle of Passchendaele on 6 and 7 November 1917, Merrifield was serving as a private and stretcher-bearer when his platoon came under a devastating artillery barrage. Although wounded himself, he treated five injured comrades, arranged for their evacuation to an aid post, and rejoined his platoon, remaining on duty until the following day. His courage and determination earned him the Military Medal (MM), announced in The London Gazette, Issue 30573, on 13 March 1918.

Less than a year later, Merrifield faced an even greater test.

On 1 October 1918, during fighting near Abancourt, France, two German machine-gun positions halted his platoon's advance. Now a sergeant, Merrifield made a daring decision. Moving from shell-hole to shell-hole under enemy fire, he attacked the first position single-handedly and killed its defenders. Despite being wounded, he pressed forward, assaulting the second position with a grenade and eliminating its occupants.

Even then, he refused evacuation. He continued leading his platoon until he was wounded again, this time severely.

His Victoria Cross (VC) citation, published in The London Gazette, Issue 31108, on 6 January 1919, recognised his exceptional bravery, devotion to duty, and leadership. It praised his "highest qualities of valour and leadership" and acknowledged his distinguished service on previous occasions. King George V personally presented Merrifield with the Victoria Cross on 26 January 1919.

His wartime service was also recognised through the 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, and Victory Medal. In 1937, he received the King George VI Coronation Medal, awarded to surviving Victoria Cross recipients in recognition of the coronation.

After the war, Merrifield returned to civilian life in Canada. He died in Toronto on 8 August 1943, aged 52, and was buried at West Korah Cemetery in Sault Ste. Marie. In 2005, his family donated his medal collection to the Canadian War Museum, helping preserve his remarkable story for future generations.

William Merrifield's legacy is not simply that he faced enemy machine guns alone. It is that, long before earning Britain's highest award for battlefield valour, he had already demonstrated the same extraordinary courage by putting the lives of his wounded comrades before his own.