Plaque du soldat James Peter Robertson V.C.
Ville/Province : Sarnia, ON
Numéro du monument : 35071-064
Type : Plaque en bronze
Adresse : CCGS Private Robertson V.C.
Lieu : Patrouille les Grands Lacs, situé à Sarnia
Soumis par : Victoria Edwards
Photo fournie par : Lager Enterprises
Le 10 décembre 2017, le NGCC (navire de la Garde côtière canadienne) Private Robertson V.C. a reçu une grande plaque parrainée par Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique. Singing Pete – comme on l’appelait – s’est joint au Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique où il a gravi les échelons jusqu’au poste de conducteur de locomotive. On lui a donné ce surnom parce qu’il chantait et sifflait joyeusement, que ce soit dans la cabine ou à la rotonde. En 1915, il s’est joint au 13e Bataillon des Canadian Mounted Rifles et, plus tard, alors qu’il se trouvait en Angleterre, il a été transféré au 27e Bataillon. La bravoure qui lui a valu la Croix de Victoria a fait de lui une légende parmi les conducteurs de locomotive du monde entier.
Le soldat James Peter Robertson a reçu la Croix de Victoria pour les gestes qu’il a posés lors de l’assaut final de Passchendaele, en Belgique, le 6 novembre 1917, avec le 27e Bataillon d’infanterie.
Inscription sur le mémorial
CCGS PRIVATE ROBERT V.C.
ROBERTSON WAS BORN IN ABION MINES, PICTOU, N.S., ON OCT. 26, 1883. FOUR YEARS LATER HIS FAMILY MOVED TO SPRINGHILL,
N.S. WHERE HE RECEIVED HIS EDUCATION. IN 1889 THE ROBERTSONS MOVE TO MEDICINE HAT, ALTA. SINGING PETE - AS HE WAS
KNOWN - JOINED THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY WHERE HE WORKED HIS WAY UP TO ENGINEER AND EARNED HIS NICKMANE FOR HIS CHEERFUL SINGING AND WHISTLING WHETHER IN THE CAB OR AT A ROUNDHOUSE.
IN 1915, HE JOINED THE 13TH CANADIAN MOUNTED RIFLES AND LATER, WHILE IN ENGLAND, TRANSFERRED TO THE 27TH BN. THE
BRAVERY THAT EARNED HIM THE VC MADE HIM A LEGEND AMONG LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS THE WORLD OVER.
“FOR MOST CONSPICUOUS BRAVERY AND OUTSTANDING DEVOTION TO DUTY IN ATTACK. WHEN HIS PLATOON WAS HELD UP BY UNCUT WIRE AND A MACHINE GUN CAUSING MANY CASUALTIES, PTE. ROBERTSON DASHED TO AN OPENING ON THE FLANK, RUSHED THE MACHINE GUN AND, AFTER A DESPERATE STRUGGLE WITH THE CREW, KILLED FOUR AND THEN TURNED THE GUN ON THE REMAINDER, WHO, OVERCOME BY THE FIERCENESS OF HIS ONSLAUGHT, WERE RUNNING TOWARDS THEIR OWN LINES. HIS GALLANT WORK ENABLED THE PLATOON TO ADVANCE. HE INFLICTED MANY MORE CASUALTIES AMONG THE ENEMY, AND THEN CARRYING THE CAPTURED MACHINE GUN, HE LED HIS PLATOON TO THE FINAL OBJECTIVE. HE THERE SELECTED AN EXCELLENT POSITION AND GOT THE GUN INTO ACTION, FIRING ON THE RETREATING ENEMY WHO BY THIS TIME WERE QUITE DEMORALISED BY THE FIRE BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THEM.
DURING THE CONSOLIDATION PTE. ROBERTSON’S MOST DETERMINED USE OF THE MACHINE GUN KEPT DOWN THE FIRE OF THE ENEMY SNIPERS; HIS COURAGE AND HIS COOLNESS CHEERED HIS COMRADES AND INSPIRED THEM TO THE FINEST EFFORTS.
LATER, WHEN TWO OF OUR SNIPERS WERE BADLY WOUNDED IN FRONT OF OUR TRENCH, HE WENT OUT AND CARRIED ONE OF THEM IN UNDER VERY SEVERE FIRE. HE WAS KILLED JUST AS HE RETURNED WITH THE SECOND MAN.”
(LONDON GAZETTE, NO.30471, 11 JANUARY 1918)
Note
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