b. 10/04/1892 Snider Mountain, Canada. d. 13/03/1978 Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.
DATE OF VC ACTION: 28/09/1918 near Cambrai, France.
Milton F Gregg VC
Milton Fowler Gregg (1892-1978) was born on 10th April 1892 at Mountain Dale (later Snider Mountain), near Sussex, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. His father, George Lord Gregg, born in Saint John, New Brunswick, became a farmer at Studholm, Kings County. He married Clarissa Elizabeth “Eliza” Myles on 11th January 1876. Milton had eight siblings.
Milton was educated at a local school at Mountain Dale, and at a Provincial Normal School, Fredericton, New Brunswick, gaining a teaching certificate. He was employed as a schoolteacher at Carleton County, New Brunswick 1910-1912. He studied at Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia until the outbreak of war. He enlisted as a trooper in 8th Princess Louise’s New Brunswick Hussars (Militia) in 1910 and qualified as a cadet instructor in 1911. He attended the Royal School of Infantry, Fredericton, New Brunswick July-August 1912. On 5th November 1914 he enlisted in the Canadian Army Medical Corps at Halifax, Nova Scotia. He was described as a student. He assigned $15 per month from his Army pay to his brother, Ralph, from 1st February 1915. On 8th February he departed Canada and arrived in England on 20th February. Having carried out further training on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire he went to France on 1st April. He made a will, leaving everything to his mother, and was taken on the strength of the 13th Battalion as a stretcher-bearer on 9th April.
Milton was involved in the Second Battle of Ypres on 22nd April and was wounded at Festubert on 21st May. He was admitted to 2nd Australian General Hospital, Boulogne on 22nd May with a gunshot wound to the right foot and was evacuated to England aboard HMHS St Patrick later that day. He was admitted to the Edmonton Military Hospital, Middlesex next day and was taken on the strength of 17th Reserve Battalion, Shorncliffe, Kent. He was transferred to the Canadian Convalescent Hospital, Monks Horton, Kent on 5th August and was promoted corporal on 1st September. He was promoted to sergeant on 28th November. A medical board at Shorncliffe, on 17th March 1916 found him fit for duty, albeit with some stiffness in the third, fourth and fifth toes of the right foot. He joined No 5 Officer Cadet Battalion, Trinity College, Cambridge on 14th April and was commissioned in 4th Reserve Battalion, King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, Park Hall, Oswestry, Shropshire on 4th September. He transferred to the CEF at Brighton, Sussex as a lieutenant on 1st November and joined 26th Battalion at Bramshott, Surrey on 17th November.
He attended the 11th Course at the Garrison Gym, Shorncliffe, beginning on 29th January 1917 and returned to the Battalion on 31st January. Milton returned to France on 25th April, joined the Canadian Base Depot next day and the Royal Canadian Regiment on 1st May. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Avion, south of Lens on 9th June 1917, when he led a bombing attack against an enemy machine gun, which he outflanked and annihilated the crew. He was wounded later in the attack, but carried a seriously wounded officer out of action to a place of safety. He was treated for a gunshot wound to the buttock. He was evacuated to England to recuperate, before he returned to France on 22nd November.
On 20th May 1918, he attended a course at 3rd Division Wing, Canadian Corps Reinforcement Camp. He was awarded a Bar to his Military Cross for his actions during an attack on Bois du Sart, east of Monchy-le-Preux on 26th August, when he became detached from his company with his platoon. He came under heavy fire from an enemy machine gun so he led a bombing party forward and rushed two machine gun crews, killing them. Pushing on with his platoon, he found his position isolated and dug in.
It was near Cambrai, on the Canal du Nord on the 28th September 1918, that his bravery and courage would see the award of the VC. When the advance of the brigade was held up by fire from both flanks and by thick, uncut wire, he crawled forward alone and explored the wire until he found a small gap through which he subsequently led his men and forced an entry into the enemy trench. The enemy counter-attacked in force and, through lack of bombs, the situation became critical. Although wounded Lt. Gregg returned alone under terrific fire and collected a further supply. Then rejoining his party, which by this time was much reduced in numbers, and in spite of a second wound, he reorganized his men and led them with the greatest determination against the enemy trenches, which he finally cleared. He personally killed or wounded 11 of the enemy and took 25 prisoners, in addition to 12 machine guns captured in the trench. Remaining with his company in spite of wounds he again on the 30th September led his men in attack until severely wounded. The outstanding valour of this officer saved many casualties and enabled the advance to continue.
He was promoted to captain and appointed Adjutant, vice Captain FD McCrea killed in action on 29th September. However, due to a gunshot wound to the back he was admitted to No 33 Casualty Clearing Station on 30th September and transferred to 3rd General Hospital, Le Treport on 1st October. He was medically discharged at Bramshott, Surrey on 9th February 1919. The VC was presented by King George V in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace on 26th February. He returned to Canada aboard RMS Adriatic, leaving from Liverpool on 1st March and arriving on 8th March. He was transferred to the Canadian Militia, serving with No 4 Company, Canadian Signal Corps in Montreal, Quebec, in the New Brunswick Rangers and as a brigade major.
He returned to university on completion of his military service and graduated BA in 1921 from Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. He also attended Law School of Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia 1923-24. He was employed widely. He married Amy Dorothy Alward on 25th August 1919. They had a daughter – Eleanore.
After the war, Gregg went into business for himself. He then went on to work for the Soldiers Settlement Board, as well as selling advertising for the Halifax Herald. He was appointed company secretary to a mining company and was a director of International Diatomite Industries Ltd and Digby Neck and Colchester County, New Brunswick. He also tried his hand as a motorcar dealer and was President of Gregg Motors Ltd, Halifax. In 1934, he was appointed Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Commons, in Ottawa. He led the Royal Canadian Regiment contingent at the unveiling of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, France by King Edward VIII on 26th August 1936. He would also attend the 60th Anniversary Commemorations of the Canadian capture of Vimy Ridge in 1977.
With the outbreak of the Second World War, Gregg served with his old regiment, the Royal Canadian Regiment, in England until April 1942. He was promoted to Colonel, and made commander of the Officers’ Training School in Brockville, Ontario. In 1943, he was made Brigadier and Commandant of the Canadian School of Infantry in Vernon, British Columbia, which he held until the end of the war. He was appointed CBE (Military) on 1st January 1946. He was appointed President of the University of New Brunswick 1944-47 and was a member of the board of New Brunswick Museum. On 20th October 1947, he was elected to Parliament as the Liberal MP for York-Sunbury under the leadership of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. He was re-elected in 1949 and 1953 and held a number of federal ministerial appointments.
He lost his seat in 1957. He became a representative of the UN Children’s Fund in Baghdad, Iraq 1958-59 and in Indonesia 1960-63. He returned to the United Nations as the Canadian representative 1963-64, and became Canada’s first High Commissioner in British Guiana 1964-67. Milton remarried to Erica Deichmann Matthiesen on 22nd July 1964. After returning to Canada in 1967, he split his time with his wife between Fredericton, New Brunswick and Grand Manan Island. He was awarded the Medal of Service of the Order of Canada on 22nd December 1967. He was a Vice Chairman of the VC and GC Association, and attended a number of reunions – the 1920 VC Garden Party, the VC Dinner of 1929, the VC Centenary Celebrations in Hyde Park in 1956, and the 7th-10th VC and GC Association reunions held in 1970, 1972, 1974 and 1976.
Milton died at his home at Fredericton, New Brunswick on 13th March 1978. His funeral took place on 17th March, followed by a private burial in Snider Mountain Baptist Church Cemetery, Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is commemorated in a number of places – Gregg Barracks in Gagetown, Brigadier Milton Gregg VC Armoury, Sussex, on the VC Memorial in the Museum of Royal Highlanders of Canada in Montreal, on the VC obelisk in Barrie, Ontario, with plaque No 75 at the York Cemetery VC Memorial in Toronto, and with a VC commemorative stone at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, England.
In addition to his VC and MC and Bar, he was awarded the Order of Canada (Officer), CBE, 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19, Defence Medal, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal 1939-45 with Maple Leaf clasp, War Medal 1939-45, George V Silver Jubilee Medal 1935, George VI Coronation Medal 1937, Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953, Canadian Centennial Medal 1967, Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal 1977, Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal, Efficiency Decoration (Canada), Canadian Forces Decoration and the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires Bronze Long Service Medal. The medal group was donated by his family to the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum, London, Ontario in 1978. However the medals were stolen from the Museum on 24th December 1978 and have not been recovered. An official replacement VC was issued on 25th June 1981.
LOCATION OF MEDAL: ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT MUSEUM, LONDON, ONTARIO. (STOLEN ON 24/12/1978 – NEVER RECOVERED).
BURIAL PLACE: SNIDER MOUNTAIN CEMETERY, SNIDER MOUNTAIN, FREDERICTON, NEW BRUNSWICK.
Acknowledgement:
Royal Canadian Regiment Museum – Gregg VC Medal Group.
Mark Penfold – Images of the Gregg VC Bible.