Robert Edward Cruickshank Robert Edward Cruickshank VC ( 17 June 1888 – 30 August 1961 ) was an Anglo - Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross ( VC ) , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . Cruickshank was born in Winnipeg in 1888 , the first of 5 children . He moved to England with his family when he was 3 where he moved frequently . In the First World War he initially volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps , but transferred to the London Scottish Regiment . After being injured in the Battle of the Somme he was returned home to recuperate before transferring to Egypt . While in Egypt , on 1 May 1918 , he volunteered to carry a message along the front line where he was hit several times by a sniper . For his continued attempts at climbing the slopes of a wadi whilst wounded and under sniper fire , he was awarded the Victoria Cross . After the war he returned to business work before moving to Southend . After serving in the Home Guard as a Major in the Second World War , he served on several local organisations and committees before dying in Leicestershire in 1961 . His medal was donated to his regimental museum . Early life . Cruickshank was born in Winnipeg in 1888 , the first born of 5 children , two younger brothers , and two sisters , all born in England . His youngest brother , John , died at the age of 10 in 1913 , tripping as he alighted from a moving tram and fracturing his skull . He had been out shopping with a friend to buy a Scout ' s cape . His middle brother , Percy , also volunteered for the Army , and was killed while serving in the Royal Fusiliers on the Western Front in 1917 , aged 19 . He is buried in France . Cruickshank moved to England at the age of 3 ; his father also called Robert originated from Aberdeen . His father had apparently been working with the Canadian Pacific Railway as an accountant . After the family arrived in England they initially lived in Islington according to the 1891 Census but by the 1901 Census had moved to Woodford . From 1903 – 1904 he was educated at Bancroft ' s School , Woodford , Essex . After leaving school , he worked as a travelling salesman , joining first Lipton , then the Lever Company . He was very interested in military matters and joined The Rough Riders , a volunteer unit 1908 – 1911 . At some stage his family moved to Harringay , North London , and he became involved in the Scouting movement shortly after it was established . He became an Assistant Scoutmaster . He was also involved in local politics and was noted as a good speaker . He supported Percy Alden MP in several election campaigns . First World War . After war was declared , he initially volunteered for the Royal Flying Corps , but transferred to the London Scottish Regiment . After training he was initially posted to the 1st Battalion in France , where he was wounded at the Battle of the Somme in September 1916 at Leuze Wood . He was evacuated to England , but after recovering , he was posted to the 2nd Battalion and joined them first in Salonika prior to it embarking to Egypt . Victoria Cross . He was 29 years old , and a Private in the 2 / 14th ( County of London ) Battalion , The London Regiment ( London Scottish ) , British Army when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC . On 1 May 1918 east of the Jordan River , Palestine , Private Cruickshank volunteered to take a message to company headquarters from his platoon which was in the bottom of a wadi , with its officer and most of the men casualties . The official War Office citation gave the following account : Following the action he was evacuated back to England where he recovered from his wounds , and was feted as a hero . He received his VC at Buckingham Palace on 24 October 1918 , his mother and fiancee attending . Post - war period . Following the First World War he married Gwendoline Mansell and at some time moved to Southend . He had rejoined Lever Brothers , and worked for them for the next 34 years , involved with the sales of margarine . In Southend and Essex he became very involved with the British Legion , serving on several committees and acted as Chairman . In the mid - 1930s work took him and Gwendoline to Glen Parva , Leicester , where they settled for the remainder of their lives . When the Second World was declared Cruickshank volunteered for the Home Guard and he achieved the rank of Major . Following the war , he then served for many years on various local organisations , particularly the Glen Parva Parish Council where he served as their Chairman for 14 years , retiring only shortly before his death . He was also an active attendee at Regimental reunions , and kept close ties with former comrades . Cruickshank died on 30 August 1961 where he was cremated and his ashes were interred at Glen Parva Parish Church , and his name inscribed in the Book of Remembrance . His wife , Gwendoline , survived until the age of 103 . They had no children . Legacy . On his death his wife presented his VC to the London Scottish , where it is now held in the Regimental Museum , 95 Horseferry Road , London . In 2006 , the 150th Anniversary of the Victoria Cross , Bancroft ' s School , unveiled plaques to both his memory and that of Lieutenant Colonel Newman VC