Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn
Major Hampden Cockburn The Royal Canadian Dragoons | |
|---|---|
| Battles/wars | Second Boer War |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
| Alma mater | Upper Canada College |
Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn VC (19 November 1867 – 12 July 1913) was a Canadian soldier, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.[1]
Early life
Born in
Second Boer War
When the
On 7 November 1900, during the Battle of Leliefontein near the Komati River, a large force of Boer commandos sought to encircle a retreating British column whose rearguard comprised two troops of Royal Canadian Dragoons and two 12-pounder guns of "D" Battery, Royal Canadian Field Artillery.[2] Cockburn and Lieutenant Richard Turner commanded a small group of troopers who repulsed the Boers at close range, allowing the two field guns to escape capture. Sergeant Edward Holland of the Royal Canadian Dragoons, ably assisted them with good machine-gun work, finally fleeing in the face of superior Boer force with the machine gun under his arm to avoid its capture.[3] All the men under Cockburn's command were either killed, wounded or captured. Cockburn was also wounded during the action.
Following the battle, three men of the Royal Canadian Dragoons were awarded the Victoria Cross: Cockburn, Turner and Holland.
The citations were published in the
Lieutenant Cockburn, with a handful of men, at a most critical moment held off the Boers to allow the guns to get away; to do so he had to sacrifice himself and his party, all of whom were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners, he himself being slightly wounded.[4]
Return to Canada
Following the Boer War, Cockburn returned to Canada, and eventually achieved the rank of major. He died in a horse-riding accident in Grayburn, Saskatchewan,[2] in 1913, and was buried at St. James Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, with a headstone at Hill A, Section S 1/2, Lot 11.
Medal
Cockburn's Victoria Cross and sword were, for many years, displayed in the lobby of his alma mater, Upper Canada College. In 1977, the school had a high-quality copy made for display, and moved the original to safe-keeping.
Gallery
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Obverse and reverse of Cockburn's Victoria Cross -
Cockburn's grave site at St. James Cemetery, Toronto
References
- ^ a b "Anglo Boer War - Cockburn, Hampden Zane Churchill". www.angloboerwar.com. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
- ^ a b "Victoria Cross - The South African (Boer) War 1899-1902: Hampden Zane Churchill Cockburn". National defence and the Canadian Forces. Department of National Defence. 14 April 2009. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
- ^ "Canada & The South African War, 1899-1902: Canadian Victoria Cross Recipients". Canadian War Museum. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
- ^ "No. 27307". The London Gazette. 23 April 1901. p. 2775.
Sources
- Monuments to Courage(David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War(Ian Uys, 20