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Hugh Cairns , (4 December 1896 – 2 November 1918) 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
He was 21 years old, and a sergeant in the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Battalion,
was installed on the side of a building opposite the Place du Canada on the street that bears his name. Cairns has several buildings and locations named after him in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, including Hugh Cairns V.C. School (an elementary school that opened in 1960), the Hugh Cairns V.C. Armoury, and the Footballer's Memorial, a statue of Cairns in Kinsmen Park. The school is located on Cairns Avenue, however the street was not named for Hugh Cairns, but rather for Saskatoon pioneer John Cairns.
''The London Gazette''
Hugh Cairns digitized service file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, Hugh Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross 1896 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from Northumberland People from Ashington Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal British emigrants to Canada Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers People from Saskatoon Burials in France
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.
Background
He was born in Ashington, Northumberland, England. The Cairns family immigrated to Canada and settled in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1911 when he was 15 years old. He was a member of the Christ Church Choir,''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'', volume 14 and as a keen footballer, he played for the Christ Church Intermediate Boys Football club, reaching the championship of the Sunday School League, scoring one goal in 104 matches. He also played for the St. Thomas Church team when they won the Saskatoon League Championship in 1915. Hugh and his elder brother Albert enlisted in the army in August 1915. Cairns was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for his actions at theBattle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...
in April 1917. At the time the DCM was the second highest award for gallantry in the British honours system.
VC details
He was 21 years old, and a sergeant in the 46th (South Saskatchewan) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...
during the Hundred Days Offensive
The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...
of the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
With the German surrender and armistice on 11 November, ten days later, Sergeant Cairns would prove to be the last of seventy-one Canadians to earn the Victoria Cross for his actions in the Great War. Cairns was also awarded the Légion d'honneur by the Government of France.
Cairns is buried in the Auberchicourt British Cemetery, seven kilometres east of Douai, France, roughly sixteen kilometres north of Cambrai, (Plot I, Row A, Grave 8).
Legacy
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Canada. In March 1936, the town of Valenciennes renamed a street in the vicinity of his actions on November 1, 1918 ''"Avenue du Sergent Cairns"'' and a plaque commemorating his valorous actionswas installed on the side of a building opposite the Place du Canada on the street that bears his name. Cairns has several buildings and locations named after him in his hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, including Hugh Cairns V.C. School (an elementary school that opened in 1960), the Hugh Cairns V.C. Armoury, and the Footballer's Memorial, a statue of Cairns in Kinsmen Park. The school is located on Cairns Avenue, however the street was not named for Hugh Cairns, but rather for Saskatoon pioneer John Cairns.
References
Further reading
*'' Monuments to Courage'' (David Harvey, 1999) *'' The Register of the Victoria Cross'' (This England, 1997) *'' VCs of the First World War – The Final Days 1918'' (Gerald Gliddon, 2000) * ''Canada's V.C.s'' (George C. Machum, 1956)''The London Gazette''
External links
Hugh Cairns digitized service file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, Hugh Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross 1896 births 1918 deaths Military personnel from Northumberland People from Ashington Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal British emigrants to Canada Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers People from Saskatoon Burials in France