Arthur George Knight
Encyclopedia
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(26 June 1886, born near Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
- 3 September 1918), was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces. Knight was one of seven Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 2 September 1918. The other six Victoria Cross recipients were Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney
Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney
Private Claude Joseph Patrick Nunney VC DCM MM 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...
, William Metcalf
William Henry Metcalf
William Henry Metcalf VC, MM 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 Commonwealth forces. Though born in the United States , Metcalf is also considered Canadian since he joined...
, John Francis Young
John Francis Young
John Francis Young VC , 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 Commonwealth forces...
, Walter Leigh Rayfield
Walter Leigh Rayfield
Walter Leigh Rayfield VC 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 Commonwealth forces. Rayfield was one of seven Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on...
, Bellenden Hutcheson and Cyrus Wesley Peck
Cyrus Wesley Peck
Cyrus Wesley Peck VC DSO and Bar 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 Commonwealth forces. Peck was one of seven Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on...
.
Details
He was 32 years old, and an acting sergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the 10th Battalion
10th Battalion, CEF
The 10th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force was a Canadian field force unit created during the First World War. Technically distinct from the Militia from which its soldiers were drawn the unit served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force , specifically in the 1st Canadian Division from 1914 to...
, CEF
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 2 September 1918 at Villers-les-Cagnicourt
Villers-lès-Cagnicourt
Villers-lès-Cagnicourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Villers-lès-Cagnicourt is situated some southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D939 and D13 roads.-Population:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, when a bombing section which he was leading was held up, Sergeant Knight went forward alone, bayoneting several machine-gunners and trench mortar crews, and forcing the rest to retire. Then bringing forward a Lewis gun he directed his fire on the retreating enemy; his platoon went in pursuit and the sergeant, seeing about 30 of the enemy going into a tunnel leading off the trench, again went forward alone, killing an officer and two NCOs and taking 20 prisoners. After this, again single-handed, he routed another hostile party. Later he was fatally wounded.
Further information
In November 1917, Knight was awarded the Croix de GuerreCroix de guerre
The Croix de guerre is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was awarded during World War I, again in World War II, and in other conflicts...
by his Majesty Leopold III
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
, King of the Belgians, for his actions.
Knight is buried at Dominion Cemetery in Hendecourt-les-Cagnicourt
Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt
Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Hendecourt-lès-Cagnicourt is situated southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D38 and the D956 roads.-Population:...
, Pas-de-Calais, France. The cemetery is roughly three kilometres northeast of the village. Plot I; Row F; Grave 15.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is on display at the Glenbow MuseumGlenbow Museum
The Glenbow Museum in Calgary is one of Western Canada's largest museums, with over 93,000 square feet of exhibition space in more than 20 galleries, showcasing a selection of the Glenbow's collection of over a million objects....
(Calgary, Alberta, Canada).
External links
- ARTHUR GEORGE KNIGHT history of the Tenth Battalion in the First World War include biography of Arthur George Knight
- Legion Magazine-The Magnificent Seven