MacGregor, VC: Goodbye, Dad

Sidney Allinson is Canadian news correspondent for Britain’s The Army
Quarterly and Defence. He is the author of The Bantams: The Untold Story
of World War I, Jeremy Kane, and Kruger’s Gold: A Novel of the
Anglo-Boer War.

The Victoria Cross is the British Commonwealth’s highest award for
bravery, bestowed for valor “in the presence of the enemy.” Since
the medal was first inaugurated in 1856, there have been only 1354
presented, 93 of which honored Canadians. Among them was Lt. Col. John
MacGregor, one of the most-decorated Canadian soldiers ever. His
repeated bravery earned him the Distinguished Conduct Medal and a
battlefield commission. Constantly in action, escaping death scores of
times, the young Scottish officer of the Canadian Mounted Rifles also
earned two Military Crosses and finally the Victoria Cross.

Written by MacGregor’s son, this biography is particularly
interesting for its insights into the hero as family man. The author has
done a fine job of researching the Scottish immigrant’s origins, early
times as a trapper in British Columbia, combat exploits in World War I,
and subsequent life that ended in tragedy. At war’s end, MacGregor
turned down the offer of a permanent army career. Instead, he returned
to British Columbia where he worked as a carpenter and seldom spoke of
his wartime experiences. He was later misdiagnosed as being mentally
ill, when in fact he was suffering from undetected cancer, which killed
him in 1952.

While the narrative would have benefited from careful editing, the
sincerity of its tone more than compensates. The author served as an air
gunner with the Royal Canadian Air Force and was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross. His courageous combat record doubly
qualifies him to pen this fine biography.