Cecil John Kinross1

#2052, (1896 - 1957)
FatherJames Stirling Kinross1 (1864 - 1954)
MotherEmily Hull1 (1870 - 1921)
Relationships2nd great-grandson of John Kinross
4th great-grandson of James Graham
3rd great-grandson of William Reid
Extended Family
Served in WW1WW1
ChartsJohn Kinross & Helen Dawson - collapsible 6-generation descendant chart
James Graham & Agnes Finlayson - collapsible 7-generation descendant chart
Michael Stirling & Elizabeth Monteith - collapsible 6-generation descendant chart
Cecil John Kinross, V.C.
Official Portrait
Canadian War Museum, Ottawa
Cecil John Kinross
(Legion magazine, May 1, 2005)
Cecil John Kinross
photo from Canada National Defense website

Life Events

BirthCecil John Kinross was born on 17 Feb 1896 in Dew's Farm, Harefield, Middlesex.
Details from the certificate: Cecil John, son of James Stirling Kinross, farmer, & Emilie Kinross formerly Hull, registered by his father on March 7th.1 
(with Parents) 1901 CensusCecil John appeared on the 1901 Census of Harefield, Middlesex with his parents. He was 5 years old and born in Harefield, Middlesex.2
EducationHe studied at in Coleshill Grammar School, Warwickshire. The village of Coleshill was about two miles distant from their home in Lea Marston. His name is still commemorated in the school which moved to a new site in the 1950s and later changed to a state school.3 
CEFHe volunteered for the Canadian Expeditionary Force on 21 Oct 1915 at Calgary, Alberta. The attestation papers included the following information: signed up with the 51st Battalion. Description: farmer, age 20 years, 5' 11 1/2", 158 pounds, chest 35" expansion 38 1/2", 3 vaccination marks from 1896, scars on both shins due to accidents with plough

You can read a pdf of his service file at the Library and Archives Canada site.4
Cecil John Kinross
CEF attestation papers
(front of form)
Cecil John Kinross
CEF attestation papers
(back of form)
MilitaryHe embarked for Britain from St. John on 18 Dec 1915 aboard S.S. Missanabie;
posted to 9th Reserve Battalion on 28 Dec 1915;
to France with the 49th Battalion on 6 Mar 1916;
wounded and admitted to hospital on 8 Oct 1916;
returned to field on 6 Nov 1916;
wounded on 29 Oct 1917 and invalided to Britain;
posted to 21st Reserve Battalion on 15 Feb 1918;
sailed for Canada on 20 Jan 1919;
honourably discharged on 17 Feb 1919.5 
(Other) 1916 CensusHe was recorded on the 1916 Census of Asquith Municipality, Alberta, in the household of his parents James Stirling Kinross and Emily Hull. Cecil J was age 20, born in England, Anglican, immigrated in 1911, and was serving Overseas.6 
Military For his actions on 30 Oct 1917 at Passchendaele, he received the Victoria Cross. He was the second youngest winner of this medal.7 
Item. Cecil's action was gazetted in The London Gazette with a recommendation for the Victoria Cross.
War Office. His Majesty the KING has been pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned Officers, Non-commissioned Officers and Men, for most conspicuous bravery: -- [including] No. 437793 Pte. Cecil John Kinross, Can. Inf.

For most conspicuous bravery in action during prolonged and severe operations.

Shortly after the attack was launched, the company to which he belonged came under intense artillery fire, and further advance was held up by a very severe fire from an enemy machine gun. Pte. Kinross, making a careful survey of the situation, deliberately divested himself of all his equipment save his rifle and bandolier and, regardless of his personal safety, advanced alone over the open ground in broad daylight, charged the enemy machine gun, killing the crew of six, and seized and destroyed the gun. his superb example and courage instilled the greatest confidence in his company, and enabled a further advance of 300 yards to be made and a highly important position to be established.
Throughout the day he showed marvellous coolness and courage, fighting with the utmost aggressiveness against heavy odds until seriously wounded.7
 
Newspaper Published 18 Feb 1918 in the Birmingham Gazette.8
Cecil Kinross at the train station
Birmingham Gazette, 18 Feb 1918
Newspaper
Birmingham Weekly Post published on 23 February 1918:

LEA MARSTON'S V.C.: VILLAGE WELCOME AND PRESENTATION

The inhabitants of Lea Marston, Curdworth, Minworth, and Wythall gave a public reception on Saturday to Pte Cecil John Kinross, of the Canadian Infantry, upon his gaining the Victoria Cross. Pte Kinross was greeted at Water Orton Station by relatives and friends, and was carried shoulder high to a waiting motor-car, in which he made a tour of the parishes named, the procession being headed by the Sutton Park Military Band, children from the Lea Marston School, and boys from the Coleshill Grammer School, at both of which Pte Kinross was educated.
Pte Kinross was born at Uxbridge in 1895, but he spent his early years at Lea Marston, where his father, before emigrating to Canada, farmed the Lea Farm and the Hollies.

The villagers gave the hero a great reception, and at Lea Marston School he was presented with a gold watch, suitably inscribed, a gold chain, a wallet containing Treasury notes, and an illuminated address, which expressed admiration of his heroic conduct in a just and righteous cause. The total value of the gifts was about £90.
Pte Kinross, who has suffered from three severe wounds, and is on ten days hospital leave, briefly tendered his thanks for the unexpected gifts.9
 
Newspaper.10
Presentation to a Local V.C.
Tamworth Herald, 23 February 1918
Newspaper Published 8 Apr 1918 in the Birmingham Gazette.11
Cecil Kinross in front of Buckingham Palace
Birmingham Gazette, 8 April 1918
Newspaper.12
Cecil Kinross, VC returns home to Lea Marston
(undated clipping)
PhotographThere is a photograph of Cecil John Kinross and his cousin James Kinross outside Buckingham Palace but I do not have a copy. He was there to receive the Victoria Cross from George V.13 
Passenger ListPrivate Cecil J Kinross V.C., number 437793, was listed on a manifest dated 29 Dec 1918 for the Carmania, arriving after the war in Halifax from Liverpool with other troops. His original unit was 51 and his reserve unit was 21. Cecil's residence was Lougheed.14 
(with Father) 1921 CensusCecil Kinross, VC, appeared on the 1921 Census of Asquith Municipality, Alberta with his father. He was 25, single, born in England, and was a grain farmer working on his own account. His mother was ill and staying with his sister Ellie.15 
Passenger ListCecil John Kinross was listed on a manifest dated Nov 1922 at the Port of Eastport, Idaho [train crossing]: Cecil Kinross, 26, single, Farmer, citizen of Canada, Scotch, residence Lougheed Alta, nearest relative Father James Kinross Lougheed, Alta, destination Boston Mass.16 
NoteHe attended an Armistice Eve Dinner in 1929 in London.17 
NoteHe attended the Annual Regimental Association Dinner in Edmonton, Alberta and sat at the head table with General Griesbach in Jan 1933.17 
Voters' ListJames Kinross, farmer, and Cecil Kinross, V.C., farmer, appeared on the electoral roll in 1935 in Electoral District of Camrose, Alberta. They lived in Sedgewick.18 
NoteHe was present at the visit of their Majesties the King and Queen on 2 Jun 1939 in Edmonton, Alberta.17 
Note.In 1951, a 2640m mountain in Jasper National Park was named Mount Kinross after Private Cecil John Kinross, V.C. It is at 52 deg 57' N 118 deg 11' W.19,20

Mount Kinross, Alberta Canada
named after Cecil John Kinross, V.C.
(Mentioned) ObituaryHe was mentioned in James Stirling Kinross's 1954 obituary as son Cecil Kinross, VC of Lougheed, Alta.21
NoteCecil John Kinross attended the celebration of the centennial of the institution of the Victoria Cross. His sisters travelled with him, then they visited relatives in Scotland in 1956.17,22 
Photograph With sisters Ellie & Nancy and cousin James.13
Cecil Kinross (right), with sister Nancy, cousin James, and sister Ellie
Manor Farm, Eton Wick, 1956
DeathCecil died on 21 Jun 1957 in Lougheed, Alberta.22
 
BurialHe was buried in Lougheed Cemetery, Lougheed, Alberta.23
Cecil J Kinross, VC
1896 - 1957
GravestoneThe original gravestone at Lougheed Cemetery was replaced in May 2015 by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at the request and initiative of The Loyal Edmonton Regiment, in concert with Family wishes.24
Cecil J Kinross, V.C.
replacement gravemarker, 2015

Newspaper
CECIL J. KINROSS
Military Funeral Honors War Hero

by Jack Deakin, Journal Staff Writer

Lougheed - Cecil John Kinross, second youngest winner of the Victoria Cross and one of Alberta's outstanding heroes of the First Great War, was buried here Monday with full military honors.
     The 59-year-old veteran who won the coveted VC at the age of 19, died suddenly last Thursday, June 21, 1957, in a hotel room in this proud town about 120 miles southeast of Edmonton.
     Canadian Legion comrades from many centres in Alberta paid tribute to him as they stood with bowed heads in a gently-falling rain. The stillness of the cemetery was disturbed only by the soft, throbbing skirl of the pipes as the pipers played The Lament.
     Never in this town's history has there been such a large gathering of mourners as that which paid tribute to an outstanding war hero. The small community hall was packed to overflowing and several hundred persons crowded a full block to hear the service over a public address loudspeaker.
     Rev. Capt. George Youmatoff, Anglican vicar of nearby Hardisty, officiated with many military dignitaries in attendance. The army was represented by Major-General Chris Vokes and heading the Edmonton Legion and the provincial command representatives was Stan Baker. Bert Hidson was the bearer of the Victoria Cross as the flag-draped casket was taken from the Community Hall to the cemetery on a gun carrier.
     Mr. Kinross' only survivors, two sisters, Ellie and Nancy, of Vancouver also attended. Final salute to the war hero was the sharp report of a firing squad which also acted as guard of honor.
     Members of the Lougheed branch of the Canadian Legion were headed by President M.W. Reed.
     Led by the Daysland Pipe Band under Jock Blake, the funeral processin marched slowly to the soldiers' plot of the Lougheed Cemetery. Pallbearers were Alex Brereton, VC, of Elnora; J. Crouch, DCM, Hardisty; N. Butcher MM and Bar, Lougheed; F. Harding MM and Bar, Lougheed; W. Routledge, Lougheed; and J. Findlay, MM, of Alliance.
     Mr. Kinross was an active member of the Canadian Legion and 150 Legionaires, along with 25 members of the Legion Women's Auxiliary, marched in the procession.
     Among others attending were Brig. Wrench of Wainwright military camp, and Dr. C.D. McBride, of Edmonton, life long friend of Kinross and a former army comrade.
     A member of the 49th Edmonton Battalion, Mr. Kinross won his Victoria Cross at Passchendaele in 1917 when single-handed he knocked out an enemy machine gun nest. His citation was for "the most conspicuous bravery in action during a prolonged and severe operation" during the late stages of the 1917 campaign.
     A native of Causie Head near Stirling Castle in Scotland, Mr. Kinross went to Middlesex when the family moved there. In 1912 the Kinross family came to Alberta and settled on a farm near here.
     Following the outbreak of the First Great War the young soldier-farmer enlisted in the 151st Battalion. He was later drafted into the 49th Battalion and served with that unit when it was under the heaviest enemy fire.
     Private Kinross' citation shows that "throughout the day he showed marvellous coolness and courage, fighting with the utmost aggressiveness against heavy odds until he was seriously wounded." The Lougheed veteran did not know he had won the Victoria Cross until he read about his act of bravery in the newspapers. He was ina British hospital at the time, recovering from wounds received in his famous one-man attack.
     In knocking out the machine gun, Mr. Kinross had to kill the entire crew of six men and was armed only by his rifle having thrown the remainder of his equipment away when the enemy fire had stopped the 49'ers assault.
     Monday's ceremony was a simple one. Mr. Youmatoff recounted the bravery of the young veteran. He paid tribute to the veteran for saving the lives of many of his comrades with his one rash but brave action.
     Mr. Kinross was one of 200 Commonwealth VC winners who assembled in London last June for the celebration of the centennial of the institution of the Victoria Cross.
     Many persons, young and old, throughout this southeastern district, knew and respected their VC war hero. He was a popular figure for many miles around and his popularity was shown Monday as hundreds of persons crowded this small town.
     There was hardly space anywhere on Main Street to park a car, the crowd gathering early in the day of the solemn afternoon service.
     Mr. Kinross' honor guard was from Wainwright, the gun carrier also coming here from the Wainwright army camp.25
 
Note.On 4 November 1957, the Royal Canadian Legion branch in Lougheed, Alberta changed its name to the C.J. Kinross V.C. branch. When it was chartered in 1946, Cecil John Kinross was its honorary president. 
Newspaper Published 13 Jun 2008 in the Edmonton Journal was a copyrighted article with the following headline which can be read online at the Journal website


Victoria Cross may hang in legislature
Top military medal, awarded in 1917, to be donated by family of WWI
veteran Cecil Kinross.
 
Newspaper Published 2009 in the Wetaskiwin Times. Dave Wilson recollected his father's stories about serving in the Battle of Passchendaele.

"...there were nine recipients [of the Victoria Cross] from the Battle of Passchendaele, including Cecil John Kinross, a fellow Albertan boy.

He was in the same unit as dad, and he was from Sedgewick, and dad was from Killam.

They (the communities) are only eight to 10 miles apart, said Dave. I guess when Kinross won the Victoria Cross, they were being badly machine gunned from a German pillbox.

With complete disregard for his life, Kinross grabbed a couple of hand grenades and emerged from the trenches under fire.

I can just remember dad saying that he (Kinross) said, "Here I go for a Victoria Cross or a wooden one."

And he went up there and blew them up and he got the Victoria Cross.26
 
Newspaper Published 17 Feb 2011 in the Toronto Sun.

EDMONTON - An Alberta man is being honoured posthumously overseas for his bravery in the battle at Passchendaele during the First World War.

Cecil John Kinross, a Victoria Cross recipient, has been given a blue plaque by the Hillingdon Council of London, England.

"Cecil John Kinross is a symbol of the enduring relationship between Canada and Britain, and his legacy as a valiant soldier in the Great War will be remembered with this plaque placed in his honour," said James R. Wright, High Commissioner for Canada.

"Like Mr. Kinross, the hundreds of thousands of British and Canadian soldiers who fought side by side - many giving up their lives - were ordinary men confronted by extraordinary circumstances."

The Hillingdon Council's blue plaque program began in 2008 with a goal of commemorating heroes who were born or lived in Hillingdon, a suburb of London.

Kinross was born in England on Feb. 17, 1896, and moved to Lougheed, Alberta, when he was 16 years old with his family. He enrolled with the Canadian Forces at the start of the First World War.

He served on the 49th Infantry Battalion at the battle of Passchendaele in Belgium.

On Oct. 30, 1917, Kinross and his army were bombarded with a German attack. He took it upon himself to hunt down the German crew of six men in broad daylight. Kinross ventured out alone, over open land, and killed the six Germans. This enabled his men to advance about 300 metres and make a substantial gain in taking over the area from the Germans.

Two members of the 49th Loyal Edmonton Regiment flew to England for Thursday's blue plaque ceremony.

Chief Warrant Officer Keith Jacquard and Capt. Robert Gliddon witnessed the plaque unveiling.

Albertans may recognize the name Kinross from Mount Kinross near Jasper in the Rocky Mountains.

Kinross died in Lougheed on June 21, 1957, and was buried with full military honours.

"The soldiers are a model of courage and service for generations to come, and we owe them a debt of gratitude," said Wright.

"It is for us to ensure that the sacrifices of Mr. Kinross and his generation are never underestimated or forgotten."

The battle of Passchendale was made into a movie by director Paul Gross and was filmed in Alberta.

Hillingdon Council's blue plaque recipients, with the latest being an Albertan being awarded for his work during the First World War in Passchendaele:

* William Wilberforce - was a leading campaigner in Parliament for the abolition of slavery.

* Sir Alexander Fleming - was a leading biologist, pharmacologist and Nobel Prize winner for the discovery of penicillin.

* Lord Bernard Miles - was an actor, writer and director.

* Douglas Bader - was transferred to the RAF Uxbridge Hospital in 1932, having suffered a double leg amputation following a horrendous flying accident.

* Robert Edward Ryder - was 20 years old, and a private in the 12th Battalion, The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own), British Army.

* Cecil Kinross - Victoria Cross recipient for bravery in 1917 near Passchendaele in Belgium with the 49th Infantry Battalion; moved to Alberta as a teenager.27,28
Blue plaque on Cecil Kinross, V.C.'s childhood home in Hillingdon
Note.A video of the unveiling of Cecil's blue plaque can be viewed online
http://article.wn.com/view/2014/07/30/Plaque_unveiling_to_begin_WWI_tributes/. 
Note.Retired teacher and avid historian Ed Dixon has penned a delightful biography of Cecil in a chapter entitled ‘HOODOO’ KINROSS, VC THE PRIDE OF LOUGHEED which you can read online. 
Note.In the summer of 2011, Ontario farmer/artist/singer-songwriter Roy Hickling became interested in Cecil's war experience. You can listen to the song he wrote: Cecil J Kinross V.C. by following the link. 
Note.On November 4th 2014, Cecil was honoured by the Hillingdon Council with a paving stone. His distant cousin attended the ceremony and contributed these images.12
Paving stone in recognition of VC recipients of WW1 laid by Hillingdon Council, 2014
Program cover & write up inside about Cecil
4 November 2014, Hillingdon, UK
Note.During its centennial year, The Loyal Edmonton Regiment conducted a grave marker rededication ceremony to honour Cecil J. Kinross, VC at the Lougheed Memorial Cemetery, 24 October 2015.

The ceremony commenced with the traditional stacking of the Regimental Drums and draping its Colours and included the unveiling of the new Victoria Cross grave marker, accentuated by firing rifle volleys.

A photograph of the marker can be seen above. 
Last Edited27 Jan 2016

Citations

  1. [S81] England Birth Register. Cecil John Kinross, 1896.
  2. [S590] Image of the 1901 Census for England & Wales (1901 Census of England & Wales, http://www.census.pro.gov.uk/), RG13/1179 folio 5.
  3. [S2864] E-mails from Dave Runaghan, Coleshill, to J Kolthammer.
  4. [S226] Canadian Expeditionary Force Attestation Papers & Enlistment Forms. Library and Archives Canada, (http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/020110_e.html), online images, Cecil John KINROSS, Regimental Number 437793.
  5. [S1493] Service Records of Cecil John Kinross, Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919 (Library and Archives Canada, Regimental Number 437793).
  6. [S1731] 1916 Census for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Image from Library and Archives Canada viewed at Ancestry.com. Alberta, Victoria District (1), Subdistrict 43, Page 7.
  7. [S1109] The London Gazette, online at www.gazettes-online.co.uk, VC citation, Issue 30471, supplement 11 Jan 1918.
  8. [S2869] E-mails from Terry Carter, Birmingham, to J Kolthammer, Clipping from the Birmingham Gazette, 18 Feb 1918.
  9. [S2869] E-mails from Terry Carter, Birmingham, to J Kolthammer, transcription of newspaper story.
  10. [S2865] Tamworth Herald. Image accessed online at Find My Past.
  11. [S2869] E-mails from Terry Carter, Birmingham, to J Kolthammer, Clipping from the Birmingham Gazette, 8 April 1918.
  12. [S2596] E-mails from John Purser, England, to J Kolthammer.
  13. [S1615] Information supplied by Alistair Kinross, April 1998.
  14. [S1622] Passenger Lists, 1865-1935, Library and Archives Canada images, viewed at Ancestry. SS Carmania, arrived in Halifax 29 December 1918.
  15. [S2776] 1921 Census for Canada. Image from Library and Archives Canada viewed at Ancestry.com. Alberta, Victoria, Sub-District 3, Page 4.
  16. [S1375] Border Crossings: from Canada to U.S., 1895-1956, images (www.ancestry.com).
  17. [S258] E-mails from Greg Ward to J Kolthammer, info from The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum.
  18. [S2667] Voters Lists, Federal Elections, 1935–1980. R1003-6-3-E (RG113-B). Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Images viewed at Ancestry.com.
  19. [S1192] Website Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org).
  20. [S462] Photograph taken by Eric Coulthard. See his website Summit Search.
  21. [S1479] Obituary of J S Kinross in unknown newspaper (probably Prince Rupert, BC), 29 June 1954.
  22. [S159] Edmonton Journal, 22 June 1957.
  23. [S1510] Website Find A Grave.
  24. [S3203] Photo of marker taken August 2015 by Leighton Cook.
  25. [S1733] Lougheed Women's Institute, Verdant Valleys: In and Around Lougheed (Lougheed, Alberta: Lougheed Women's Institute, 1972), viewed online at Our Roots / Nos Racines.
  26. [S462] Captured from the Wetaskiwin Times online. No longer available.
  27. [S462] Toronto Sun online. http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2011/02/18/…
  28. [S2596] E-mails from John Purser, England, to J Kolthammer. Photo of blue plaque taken in April 2012.