John MacLaren Erskine
Encyclopedia
John MacLaren Erskine VC
(13 January 1894 – 14 April 1917) was a Scottish
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.
Erskine was born in 1894 to William and Elizabeth Erskine. He was 22 years old, and a serjeant
in the 5th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
, British Army
during the First World War, when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 22 June 1916 at Givenchy
, France
.
at Arras, France, on 14 April 1917 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial
.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Cameronians Regimental Museum, Hamilton, Lanarkshire
, Scotland
.
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....
(13 January 1894 – 14 April 1917) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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.
Erskine was born in 1894 to William and Elizabeth Erskine. He was 22 years old, and a serjeant
Serjeant
Serjeant may be:*The holder of a serjeanty, a type of feudal land-holding in England*A generally obsolete spelling of Sergeant, although still used in some English regiments, and for Serjeant-at-Arms...
in the 5th Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
The Cameronians was an infantry regiment of the British Army, the only regiment of rifles amongst the Scottish regiments of infantry...
, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the First World War, when he was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on 22 June 1916 at Givenchy
Givenchy
Givenchy is a French brand of clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics with Parfums Givenchy.The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Pret-a-Porter...
, 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...
.
Citation
He was killed in actionKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
at Arras, France, on 14 April 1917 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial
Arras Memorial
The Arras Memorial is a World War I memorial in France, located in the Faubourg d'Amiens British Cemetery, in the western part of the town of Arras...
.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Cameronians Regimental Museum, Hamilton, Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.