- Robert Spall
Robert Spall VC (
March 5 1890 ,Suffolk County,England -August 13 ,1918 ), was a Canadian recipient of theVictoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.He was 28 years old, and a
Sergeant in thePrincess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry ,Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.On
13 August 1918 nearParvillers ,France , during an enemy counter-attack, Sergeant Spall's platoon became isolated, whereupon he took aLewis gun and standing on the parapet, fired upon the advancing enemy, inflicting many casualties. He then came down from the trench and directed his men into a sap convert|75|yd away, after which he picked up another Lewis gun, again climbed the parapet and held up the enemy with his fire, but while doing so was killed. Owing to Sergeant Spall, who deliberately gave his life, the platoon was saved.Sergeant Spall's final resting place was lost and as such he is commemorated on the
Canadian National Vimy Memorial with the over 11,000 other Canadian dead of the Great War whom were killed in France but whose remains were lost or never recovered.His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
Museum of the Regiments "(Calgary ,Alberta , Canada)".References
*"
Monuments to Courage ", (David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)External links
* [http://www.legionmagazine.com/features/victoriacross/05-09.asp?id=print Legion Magazine]
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