George McKenzie Samson VC (7 January 1889 – 28 February 1923) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces, for his actions during the Gallipoli Campaign of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Samson was from Carnoustie in

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, 26 years old, and a

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

in the

Royal Naval Reserve The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...

when he was awarded the VC. George MacKenzie Samson VC grave Bermuda

On 25 April 1915 during the landing at

V Beach The landing at Cape Helles ( tr, Seddülbahir Çıkarması) was part of the Gallipoli Campaign the amphibious landings on the Gallipoli peninsula by British and French forces on 25 April 1915 during the First World War. Helles, at the foot o ...

on Cape Helles, Seaman Samson, along with three other men (

George Leslie Drewry George Leslie Drewry (3 November 1894 – 2 August 1918) was an English 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. ...

Wilfred St. Aubyn Malleson Commander Wilfred St. Aubyn Malleson VC (17 September 1896 – 21 July 1975) was a British 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 Commo ...

, and

William Charles Williams William Charles Williams Victoria Cross, VC (15 September 1880 – 25 April 1915) was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom, ...

) was assisting the commander ( Edward Unwin) of their ship , at the work of securing the

lighters A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

. He worked all day under very heavy fire, attending wounded and getting out lines. He was eventually seriously wounded by Maxim fire. While dressed in civilian clothes and on his way to a public reception in his honour, Samson was given a white feather.John Glanfield, ''Bravest of the Brave'' (2005), pp. 110–12, Sutton Publishing, He later achieved the rank of petty officer and rejoined the Merchant Navy after the war, ultimately dying of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

. He is buried in the new St. George's Military Cemetery off Secretary Lane in

St. George's, Bermuda St. George's (formally the Town of St. George or St. George's Town), located on the island and within the parish of the same names (and on the northern side of St. George's Harbour, settled in 1612, is the first permanent English (and later Bri ...

. His VC is in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery in the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Samson, George Mckenzie 1889 births 1923 deaths Royal Navy personnel of World War I British Gallipoli campaign recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Navy sailors Deaths from pneumonia Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Carnoustie British Merchant Navy personnel Royal Naval Reserve personnel Scottish military personnel