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Ellis Wellwood Sifton

 
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Ellis Wellwood Sifton VC
Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
 (12 October 1891 – 9 April 1917) was a Canadian
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations 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 Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
 forces.

Sifton was born in Wallacetown, Ontario and was a farmer when he enlisted.






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Visiting Sifton's Grave
Ellis Wellwood Sifton VC
Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations countries, and previous British Empire territories....
 (12 October 1891 – 9 April 1917) was a Canadian
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration which is, or has been, awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth of Nations 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 Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, also known as the Commonwealth or the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-three independent member states....
 forces.

Sifton was born in Wallacetown, Ontario and was a farmer when he enlisted. One of four soldiers to earn the Victoria Cross in the Battle of Vimy Ridge
Battle of Vimy Ridge

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was a military engagement fought as part of the Battle of Arras , in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, during the First World War....
 (the others were Thain Wendell MacDowell
Thain Wendell MacDowell

Thain Wendell MacDowell, Victoria Cross , Distinguished Service Order , was a Canada recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
, William Johnstone Milne
William Johnstone Milne

William Johnstone Milne Victoria Cross , was a Canada soldier in World War I who Posthumous recognition received the Victoria Cross for the highest gallantry against the enemy during action in France on 9 April, 1917....
 and John George Pattison
John George Pattison

John George Pattison Victoria Cross , was a Canada recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to United Kingdom and Commonwealth of Nations forces....
), Sifton was 25 years old, and a Lance Sergeant in the 18th (Western Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force

For the organisation that fought in Europe, see Canadian Corps.The Canadian Expeditionary warfare was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War....
 during the First World War
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
 when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

Victoria Cross

On 9 April 1917 at Neuville-St.-Vaast, France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
, during an attack on enemy trenches, Lance-Sergeant Sifton's company was held up by machine-gun fire.

Citation

An extract from the London Gazette
London Gazette

The London Gazette is one of the official gazette of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the UK, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published....
, dated 8 June, 1917, indicated his Victoria Cross citation read:
"For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. During the attack in enemy trenches Sjt. Sifton's company was held up by machine gun fire which inflicted many casualties. Having located the gun he charged it single-handed, killing all the crew. A small enemy party advanced down the trench, but he succeeded keeping these off till our men had gained the position. In carrying out this gallant act he was killed, but his conspicuous valour undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed largely to the success of the operation."


Occurences

During an attack on Vimy Ridge, "C" Company of the 18th Battalion was held up during its advance by German machine gunners who had survived the artillery barrage by taking refuge in concrete shelters. As the Canadians moved forward, the enemy's machine guns swept the battlefield, causing heavy casualties. Sifton saw the enemy's machine gun nest first. He jumped up, rushed forward and leapt into the trench. He then charged into the enemy gun crew and knocked the gun over before turning on the gunners with his bayonet, killing each man. More Canadians hurried forward, but not before a small German party moved down the trench towards Sifton. He used his bayonet and his rifle as a club to fight them off until help arrived. Despite these efforts, Sifton was killed during the fighting.

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