William Johnstone Milne

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William Johnstone Milne
William Johnstone Milne.jpg
Born21 December 1892
Cambusnethan, Wishaw, Scotland
Died9 April 1917 (aged 24)
near Thelus, Vimy Ridge, France
Allegiance Canada
Service/branchCanadian Expeditionary Force
Years of service1915 - 1917
Unit16th Battalion, CEF
Battles/warsFirst World War
AwardsVictoria Cross

William Johnstone Milne VC (21 December 1892 – 9 April 1917) was a Canadian soldier. Milne 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 British and Commonwealth forces. Milne was a Canadian soldier in World War I who received the VC at the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 9 April 1917.


Milne was born on 21 December 1892 in Scotland and moved to Canada in 1910. He worked on a farm near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan before joining the army in September 1915.

Milne was 24 years old and a private in the 16th (The Canadian Scottish) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force on the 9 April 1917 near Thelus, France, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where his actions led to the award of the Victoria Cross.

His citation reads:


Four soldiers earned the Victoria Cross in the Battle of Vimy Ridge; the others were Thain Wendell MacDowell, Ellis Wellwood Sifton and John George Pattison.

Milne's body was never found. He is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial.

The medal[edit]


  1. ^ "No. 30122". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1917. p. 5705.

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