James McKechnie
VC (June 1826 – 5 July 1886) 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 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.
Details
He was born to Colin McKechnie and Jane McKechnie (Nee McGregor) and was married to an Elizabeth McLean.
McKechnie was 28 years old, and a
sergeant
Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...
in the
Scots Fusilier Guards,
British Army during the
Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 20 September 1854 at the
Battle of the Alma,
Crimea, when the shot and fire from the batteries just in front of the battalion threw it into momentary disorder, it was forced out of its formation, becoming something of a huge triangle, with one corner pointing towards the enemy. A captain was carrying the Queen's Colour which had the pole smashed and 20 bullet holes through the silk. Sergeant McKechnie held up his revolver and dashed forward, rallying the men round the Colours. He was wounded in the action.
In 2015, Kier Homes named a street in their Hawkhead Village development in Paisley, James McKechnie Avenue, in memory of him.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Guards Regimental Headquarters (Scots Guards RHQ) in
Wellington Barracks,
Chelsea, London.
References
*
Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
*
The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
*
Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
External links
Location of grave and VC medal''(Glasgow)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mckechnie, James
Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross
British recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Army personnel of the Crimean War
Scots Guards soldiers
Military personnel from Paisley, Renfrewshire
1826 births
1886 deaths
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross