Okill Massey Learmonth VC MC (1894 - 1917)

Born 20 Feb 1894 in Quebec City, Quebec, Quebec, Canada

Ancestors

Died 19 Aug 1917 at age 23 in Hill 70, Lens, Pas-de-Calais, France

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Biography

Major Okill Learmonth VC MC served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I
Service started: 29 Sep 1914
Unit(s): 12th Infantry Battalion; 2nd Infantry Battalion,
Service ended: 19 Aug 1917

Okill Learmonth VC MC was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Okill Learmonth VC MC was awarded the Military Cross.

Okill Learmonth VC MC is Notable.

Awards

Military Cross 16 August 1917

Victoria Cross 16 November 1917

• Okill Massey Learmonth, VC, MC (20 February 1894 – 19 August 1917), was a Canadian soldier. Learmonth was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Commonwealth forces. Learmonth served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I, and was awarded his medal posthumously for actions at the Battle of Hill 70.

• World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. A native of Canada, he posthumously received the award on November 6, 1917 for his actions as an acting major in the 2nd (Eastern Ontario) Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force on August 18, 1917 at the Battle of Hill 70 (a diversionary tactic to draw German forces away from the Battle of Passchendaele in Belgium) near Loos, France. Born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, after graduating from Quebec High School he served for two years in the Canadian militia and worked at the Union Bank of Canada and the Treasury Department at Quebec. Following the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1914 and assigned to the 12th Infantry Battalion and sent to England. After receiving training, he was sent to the Western Front in France with the 2nd Infantry Battalion. He saw intense combat action at Ypres, Belgium and was wounded. He was then commissioned as a lieutenant and saw action at Vimy Ridge (April 1917), Fresnoy-en-Gohelle (May 1917), and finally Loos where he died of wounds at the age of the 23 on the day following his heroic efforts at the Battle of Hill 70. His Victoria Cross citation reads: "On 18 August 1917 east of Loos, France, during a determined counter-attack on our new positions, Major Learmonth, when his company was momentarily surprised, instantly charged and personally disposed of the attackers. Later, although under intense barrage fire and mortally wounded, he stood on the parapet of the trench, bombing the enemy and on several occasions he actually caught bombs thrown at him and threw them back. When unable to carry on the fight, he still refused to be evacuated and continued giving instructions and invaluable advice, finally handing over all his duties before he was moved to hospital where he died." His Victoria Cross is held by the Governor General's Foot Guards' Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Bio by: William Bjornstad

Personnel Records of the First World War

Okill Massey Learmonth was born 20 February 1894 in Quebec City, Québec, Canada son of William Learmonth and Martha Jane Richardson and was baptized 3 May 1894 in Saint Andrew's Church, Quebec City, Québec. ^[1]

Okil was killed in battle 19 August 1917 in Lens, France and was buried in Noeux-les-Mines Communal Cemetery, Noeux-les-Mines, Departement du Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. Find A Grave: Memorial #9920112 and Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Sources

1. ↑ Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968

See Also

• Wikipedia
• Jacques Castonguay, “LEARMONTH, OKILL MASSEY,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 14, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed April 1, 2022.