Cecil John Kinross

Cecil John Kinross VC was a Canadian soldier in World War I. Kinross was a 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.

Early life

Kinross was born on 17 February 1896 at Dews Farm, Harefield, Middlesex. His father's family originated in Perthshire. He moved to Lougheed, Alberta with his parents and siblings in 1912.

Military career

Kinross volunteered in Calgary, Alberta, on 21 October 1915, as a private in the 49th (Edmonton) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. On 30 October 1917, at the Battle of Passchendaele during the First World War, Kinross performed an act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Kinross was wounded in the arm and head in 1917 and hospitalised in Orpington, England. He was subsequently presented with the Victoria Cross by King George V in March 1918.

Later life

Kinross returned to Alberta after the war and was given a plot of land in Lougheed. He never married and died at the Lougheed Hotel in on 21 June 1957. He is buried in the Soldier's Plot in Lougheed.

Legacy

Mount Kinross, 2560m, 24 km NW of Jasper, Alberta, in the Victoria Cross Ranges in Jasper National Park, was named after him in 1951.
His Victoria Cross medal is held by his family while the miniature is on display at The [Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum] in Edmonton, Alberta.