Canada Post to Commemorate the Victoria Cross and its Heroes
VANCOUVER - Canada Post will issue a stamp in late October honouring the Victoria Cross and its winners. There will be some launches around the province and a great deal of research has been done on all the winners in this area.
Included will be a ceremony with the Seaforth Highlanders, BC Regiment, Vancouver City Police in Vancouver, the Canadian Scottish in Victoria, and the Royal Westminster Regiment in New Westminster.
As part of the background work, Jim Bain of Canada Post has done a lot of research and discovered some great stories about winners who emigrated to Canada from Scotland and Ireland.
Here are some examples:
Robert Hill Hanna
Born on August 6, 1887 at Kileel, County Down, Ireland.
He emigrated to Canada prior to the First World War and settled in the Mount Lehman area of Abbotsford. He joined the BC Regiment (Irish Fusiliers) in 1914 and won the Victoria Cross on September 21, 1917 at Lens, France. His descendants live in the area.
Robert McBeath
Born on December 22, 1897 at Kinlochbervie, Laing, Sutherland, Scotland.
He served with the Duke of Rossshire Buffs (Seaforth Highlanders) and won the Victoria Cross on November 20, 1917 at Cambrai, France. Emigrated to Vancouver following the war and joined the Vancouver City Police Department. Tragically, he was shot and killed on duty on October 9, 1922.
John McGregor
Born February 1, 1889 at Cawdor, Nairn, Scotland.
He emigrated to Canada in 1911 and settled in the Nass River Valley, 100 miles west of Prince Rupert where he was a trapper. In November 1914, a passing Game Warden told McGregor that war had broken out. McGregor immediately closed his cabin and snowshoed the 100 miles to Prince Rupert to enlist.
The journey was so arduous that he lost too much weight and was rejected for service. Undaunted, he took the boat to Vancouver and “fattened himself up” for several weeks then rejoined the BC Regiment. He won the Victoria Cross on September 29, 1918 at Cambrai, France.
Michael James O'Rourke
Born March 19, 1878 at Limerick, Ireland.
He emigrated to Vancouver prior to the First World War, where he worked as a longshoreman. In 1914 he joined the BC Regiment (Irish Fusiliers) and served as a stretcher bearer. During the period of August 15 to 17, 1917 at Hill 60, France, he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire and rescued several of his comrades.
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