Hugh Cairns VC DCM

b. 04/12/1896 Ashington, Northumberland. d. 02/11/1918 Valenciennes, France.

Hugh Cairns (1896-1918) was born on 4th December 1896 at Ashington, Northumberland. His father, George Henry Cairns, was a coal miner from Chatton, Northumberland. He married Elizabeth Dores nee Donkin on 23rd May 1892 at Morpeth, Northumberland. She was a servant at the home of William and Elizabeth Atkinson in 1891. They would emigrate to Canada in 1911, settling in West Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Hugh had ten siblings in all, all of whom were born in Ashington.

Hugh was educated at Bothal School, Ashington. He initially became a colliery labourer and was listed as such on the 1911 Census when still living with his parents. On emigrating to Canada with them, Hugh became an apprentice plumber. His interests included football, long distance running, and boxing. He played football for Christ Church, Saskatoon in the Canadian Champions Sunday School League in 1913, and for St Thomas’ Church, the Saskatoon League Champions in 1915.

Hugh Cairns VC DCM

On 2nd August 1915 he enlisted in the 65th Battalion, CEF at Saskatoon. He was granted harvest leave between 16th August and 15th October. On 20th June 1916 Hugh sailed for England aboard RMS Empress of Britain with 65th Battalion, arriving in Liverpool on 28th June. He was taken on the strength of the 46th Battalion (Saskatchewan Dragoons) at Bramshott, Hampshire on 30th June. The Battalion became known as the “Suicide Battalion” due to its heavy losses. On 23rd July, he transferred to 10th Canadian Brigade Trench Mortar Battery but returned to 46th Battalion on 29th July.

He was sent to France on 10th August and disembarked at Le Havre the next day. He attended a Lewis Gun course between 3rd-9th September 1916. On 3rd June 1917 he was wounded by a shell in the back and was admitted to 12th Canadian Field Ambulance. He was awarded a good conduct stripe on 4th August 1917 and given a pay increase.

He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions at Vimy when he led a party forward at a crucial moment and offered covering fire to the flank of an attacking battalion. He then recovered two guns which had been left behind, posted them, repelled three enemy attacks and successfully covered the withdrawal. He was wounded but held on until all his ammunition was gone before making his way back to his own lines. This was gazetted on 25th August 1917. He was promoted to lance corporal on 11th November, and attended an Anti-Aircraft Course at the Canadian Corps School in March 1918. He was promoted to corporal on 1st July and sergeant on 15th August.

On 1st November 1918, just 10 days before the Armistice, Cairns was leading No. 3. Platoon of “A” Company, 46th Battalion (South Saskatchewan) in the drive to take Valenciennes, a town near the Belgian border occupied by the Germans in 1914. This portion of 1918 is often called “Canada’s Hundred Days”; the Canadian Corps, under the command of General Arthur Currie, was in the van of the British assault through northern France into Belgium.

When a machine gun opened fire on Cairns’ platoon, he seized a Lewis gun and single-handed, in the face of direct fire, rushed the post, killed the crew of five, and captured the gun. Later, when the line was held up by machine-gun fire, he again rushed forward, killing 12 enemy and capturing 18 and two guns. Subsequently, when the advance was held up by machine guns and field guns, although wounded, he led a small party to outflank them, killing many, forcing about 50 to surrender, and capturing all the guns. After consolidation he went with a battle patrol to exploit Marly and forced 60 enemy to surrender. Whilst disarming this party he was severely wounded. Nevertheless, he opened fire and inflicted heavy losses. Finally, he was rushed by about 20 enemy and collapsed from weakness and loss of blood.

Cairns was recommended for the VC, but sadly died of his wounds the following day, 2nd November at the No 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station at Auberchicourt, and was buried in Auberchicourt British Cemetery. The VC was sent by the War Office to the Colonial Office for presentation to his father at North Saskatoon on 20th February 1919.

In 1936 a street in Valenciennes was named after Cairns, with his parents travelling from Saskatoon for the dedication; the Daily Herald called it the first known case of a French street being named in honour of a non-commissioned officer. Other honours include a plaque in the same town, a posthumous Legion of Honour, Hugh Cairns V.C. School in Saskatoon, and a place for his parents at the dedication of the Vimy Memorial, the battleground where Hugh earned his DCM.

The most substantial memorial lives in Saskatoon’s Kinsmen Park, where the local soccer association and the community chose to place a statue of Cairns atop the memorial commemorating the soccer community’s war dead. The memorial was erected in 1921, showing Cairns in full soccer kit: it is believed to be the only war memorial featuring a soccer player anywhere in the world. He is also named on the VC obelisk in Barrie, Ontario, on plaque No 9 at York Cemetery VC Memorial, Toronto and with a VC commemorative stone placed at Ashington Memorial Garden, Ashington (unveiled on 1st November 2018). He is also on the Bothal School War Memorial in Ashington.

In addition to his VC and DCM, he was awarded the British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19 and French Knight of the Legion of Honour. The medals eventually came into the possession of his nephew, William Milne, who, with the approval of other family members, presented them to the Canadian War Museum in trust in November 1977, together with the medals awarded to his brothers Albert, Henry and Lawrence.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: CANADIAN WAR MUSEUM, OTTAWA, CANADA.

BURIAL PLACE: AUBERCHICOURT BRITISH CEMETERY, DOUAI, FRANCE.

PLOT I, ROW A, GRAVE 8