George McIntosh

George McIntosh
George McIntosh
	Private McIntosh is presented with the Victoria Cross by King George V
Born	24 April 1897; Buckie, Banffshire
Died	20 June 1968 (71 years old); Aberdeen, Scotland
Buried	New Cemetery, Buckie
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army; Royal Air Force
Rank	Flight Sergeant WWII; Private WWI
Unit	The Gordon Highlanders; No. 1 Squadron RAF
Battles / wars	World War I; World War II
Awards	Victoria Cross

George Imlach McIntosh VC (24 April 1897 – 20 June 1968) was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Details

He was 20 years old, and a private in the 1/6th Battalion, The Gordon Highlanders, British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place at the Battle of Passchendaele for which he was awarded the VC.

On 31 July 1917 at Ypres, Belgium, during the consolidation of a position, the company came under machine-gun fire at close range and Private Mclntosh immediately rushed forward under heavy fire and reaching the emplacement, threw a Mills grenade into it, killing two of the enemy and wounding a third. Subsequently, entering the dug-out he found two light machine-guns which he carried back with him. His quick grasp of the situation and the rapidity with which he acted undoubtedly saved many of his comrades and enabled the consolidation to proceed unhindered by machine-gun fire.^[1]

George McIntosh was born in Buckie, Banffshire. McIntosh went on to join the Royal Air Force and served in World War II, and during 1942 was the senior NCO with No 1 squadron. He later achieved the rank of Flight Sergeant.

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland.

Freemasonry

McIntosh was a Scottish Freemason being Initiated in Lodge Gordon, No. 589, (Buckie, Banffshire, Scotland) on 7 April 1920, Passed on 10 March and Raised on 6 April 1921.^[2]

References

^ "No. 30272". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 September 1917. p. 9260.
^ The Great War 1914–1918 Victoria Cross Freemasons. Granville Angell. 2014. pp. 175–181. ISBN 978-0-9563661-7-7

Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
VCs of the First World War - Passchendaele 1917 (Stephen Snelling, 1998)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal (Grampian)

[1] "No. 30272". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 September 1917. p. 9260.

[2] The Great War 1914–1918 Victoria Cross Freemasons. Granville Angell. 2014. pp. 175–181. ISBN 978-0-9563661-7-7

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