Samuel Lewis Honey Samuel Lewis Honey , ( 9 February 1894 – 30 September 1918 ) was a soldier in the Canadian Expeditionary Force , and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy given to British and Commonwealth forces , during the First World War . Biography . Samuel Lewis Honey went by his middle name , Lewis . He was born on 9 February 1894 in Conn , Ontario to Reverend George Edward Honey and Metta Blaisdell . Honey was a schoolteacher in civilian life , and planned on attending the University of Victoria for an Arts degree . War interrupted these plans , and Lewis answered the call to arms . Lewis originally joined the army as a non - commissioned soldier , enlisting 22 January 1915 . He earned the Military Medal raiding German trenches on 22 February 1917 , and covered his platoon and another in the face of heavy grenade fire . Lewis wrote that his party deserved recognition as much as he did . Lewis fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge , earning the Distinguished Conduct Medal for leadership and maintaining morale in the face of extremely heavy fire . He was recommended for a commission after the battle , and Lewis earned his commission in 1918 . Lewis remained modest about his role , stating in correspondence to family that he was simply lucky . He was 24 years old , and a lieutenant in the 78th Battalion , Canadian Expeditionary Force , during the First World War . On 21 September 1918 at Bourlon Wood , France , he performed a deed at the battle of the Canal du Nord for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross . Citation . King George V authorized the Victoria Cross posthumously . Lewis was buried in Pas de Calais , France , at the Queant Communal Cemetery . Plaque . A plaque was erected by the Highland Fusiliers of Canada with the support of the citizens of Cambridge and the Ontario Heritage Foundation in honour of Lieutenant Samuel Lewis Honey , VC , DCM , MM . " Samuel Honey was born in Conn , Wellington County on February 9 , 1894 . A school teacher at 17 , he enlisted on January 25 , 1915 , in the 34th battalion , C . E . F . being raised in Galt , and went to England as a sergeant in October 1915 . In France , he won the military medal in January , 1917 and was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for gallant leadership in April , 1917 . After completing officer training , he returned to his unit in France and won the Victoria Cross at Bouillon Wood on September 27 , 1918 . With all other officers killed or wounded , he took command of his company and single - handed rushed and captured a machine - gun post and ten prisoners . He died of wounds on September 29 , 1918 , and is buried at Queant cemetery , France . " Medals . His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa , Canada , alongside his Distinguished Conduct Medal , Military Medal , British War Medal ( 1914 – 1920 ) , and Victory Medal . The Victoria Cross was not the ' Canadian ' version ( bearing the linguistically unbiased phrase " PRO VALORE " ) . As Lieutenant Honey was commissioned from the ranks , it was possible for him to earn medals reserved for non - commissioned ranks .