branch death_date death_place birth_place allegiance unit awards battles birth_date placeofburial rank image article_title name
canadian expeditionary force canadian army royal canadian air force 19 february 1963 port moody , british columbia fox river , nova scotia 20px canada 49th -lrb- edmonton -rrb- battalion victoria cross first world war second world war 11 january 1887 mountain view cemetery , vancouver private -lrb- army -rrb- sergeant -lrb- air force -rrb- vcjohnchipmankerrgrave.jpg john chipman kerr
 john chipman kerr
john chipman kerr

john chipman kerr vc -lrb- january 11 , 1887 - february 19 , 1963 -rrb- , 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 .
in 1912 , after working as a lumberjack near kootenay , british columbia he bought a homestead in spirit river , alberta , where he and his brother farmed until war broke out .
immediately they set out for edmonton , leaving only a single note tacked to the door of their humble shed .
it read : `` war is hell , but what is homesteading ? ''
he was 29 years old , and a private in the 49th -lrb- edmonton -rrb- battalion , canadian expeditionary force during the first world war when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the vc .
on 16 september 1916 at courcelette , france , during a bombing attack , private kerr was acting as bayonet man and noting that bombs were running short , he ran along the parados under heavy fire until he was in close contact with the enemy when he opened fire at point-blank range , inflicting heavy losses .
the enemy , thinking that they were surrounded , surrendered - 62 prisoners were taken and 250 yards of enemy trench captured .
earlier , private kerr 's fingers had been blown off , but he did not have his wound dressed until he and two other men had escorted the prisoners back under fire and reported for duty .
his victoria cross is displayed at the canadian war museum in ottawa , canada .
mount kerr in jasper national park , alberta was named in his honour in 1951 , and in 2006 chip kerr park in port moody , british columbia , was dedicated .
he is a great uncle of greg kerr , mp for west nova .
