Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson
Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson, (June 29, 1894, Bridgnorth, England - July 5, 1916), was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
He was 22 years old, and a temporary lieutenant in the 7th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 5 July 1916 at La Boiselle, France, during an attack, when a party of men from another unit were retiring without their machine-gun, Lieutenant Wilkinson with two of his men, got the gun into action and held up the enemy until relieved. Later he forced his way forward during a bombing attack and found four or five men from different units stopped by a wall of earth over which the enemy was throwing bombs. He at once mounted the machine-gun on top of the parapet and dispersed the bombers. Subsequently, in trying to bring in a wounded man, he was killed.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Imperial War Museum (London, England).
References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Somme (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
- Antoni Chmielowski
External links
- Thiepval Memorial
- Legion Magazine article on Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson
- Find-A-Grave profile for Thomas Orde Lawder Wilkinson
This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.