Frederick William Campbell
Frederick William Campbell | |
|---|---|
 The action for which he received the Victoria Cross | |
| Born | 15 June 1867 Wellington County, Ontario |
| Died | 19 June 1915 (aged 48) Givenchy, France |
| Buried | Boulogne Eastern Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  Canada |
| Service | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Years of service | 1885–1915 |
| Rank | Captain (posthumous) |
| Unit | 1st Canadian Battalion (Ontario Regiment), CEF |
| Battles / wars | Second Boer War First World War |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
Frederick William Campbell VC (15 June 1867 – 19 June 1915) was a Canadian Army Officer, and 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.
Biography
[edit]Campbell was born on 15 June 1867 to Ephraim B. and Esther A. Hunt Campbell of Mount Forest, Ontario. He was married, to Margaret Annie.[1]
As a lieutenant in the 1st (Western Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War, he was awarded the VC for actions performed on 15 June 1915 (his 48th birthday) at Givenchy, France. As he was retreating, his right thigh bone was shattered. The wound turned septic, and Campbell died in hospital in Boulogne four days later.
For most conspicuous bravery on 15th June, 1915, during the action at Givenchy. Lt. Campbell took two machine-guns over the parapet, arrived at the German first line with one gun, and maintained his position there, under very heavy rifle, machine-gun and bomb fire, notwithstanding the fact that almost the whole of his detachment had then been killed or wounded. When our supply of bombs had become exhausted, this Officer advanced his gun still further to an exposed position, and, by firing about 1,000 rounds, succeeded in holding back the enemy's counter-attack. This very gallant Officer was subsequently wounded, and has since died.
— London Gazette, No. 29272, 20 August 1915[2]
He is buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, (Plot II, Row A, Grave 24). His gravestone inscription reads: HOW SLEEP THE BRAVE WHO SINK TO REST BY ALL THEIR COUNTRY'S WISHES BLEST.[1] This inscription is from 'Ode Written in the Beginning of the Year 1746' by William Collins.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Casualty Details: Campbell, Frederick William". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "No. 29272". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 August 1915. p. 8374.
Further reading
[edit]- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- VCs of the First World War - The Western Front 1915 (Peter F. Batchelor & Christopher Matson, 1999)
External links
[edit]- Frederick William Campbell digitized service file
- Legion Magazine article
- Ontario Plaques - Captain Frederick W. Campbell, V.C. 1867-1915
- Canadian Virtual Memorial / Memorial Page for Frederick W. Campbell Archived 28 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- Canadian Virtual Memorial / Photograph Collection for Frederick W. Campbell
- Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross
- 1867 births
- Canadian military personnel killed in World War I
- 1915 deaths
- Canadian military personnel from Ontario
- Canadian Expeditionary Force officers
- Royal Canadian Regiment officers
- People from Wellington County, Ontario
- Canadian military personnel of the Second Boer War
- Deaths from sepsis in France