Walter Lorrain Brodie
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant Colonel
Walter Lorrain Brodie VC
MC
(28 July 1885 – 23 August 1918) 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.
Brodie was 29 years old, and a captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry, British Army
during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 11 November 1914 near Becelaere, Belgium
, Captain Brodie led a charge to evict the enemy from a portion of British trenches which they had succeeded in occupying. He bayoneted several of the enemy himself and relieved a dangerous situation. As a result of the captain's prompt action, 80 of the enemy were killed and 51 taken prisoner.
He later achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel
. Brodie was killed in action
near Moeuvres, France
, on 23 August 1918.
Walter Lorrain Brodie VC
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....
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(28 July 1885 – 23 August 1918) 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.
Brodie was 29 years old, and a captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Highland Light 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 the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 11 November 1914 near Becelaere, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Captain Brodie led a charge to evict the enemy from a portion of British trenches which they had succeeded in occupying. He bayoneted several of the enemy himself and relieved a dangerous situation. As a result of the captain's prompt action, 80 of the enemy were killed and 51 taken prisoner.
He later achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
. Brodie was killed in action
Killed 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...
near Moeuvres, 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...
, on 23 August 1918.