Victoria Cross
MM & Bar
LCpl William Henry Metcalf born in Talmadge, Waite Township, Maine on 29 January 1885. When the Great War began, he immediately came to Canada and enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, eventually serving in the 16th Infantry (Canadian Scottish) Battalion. Metcalf received the Military Medal in 1916 for his part in the fighting during the Battle of the Somme, and Bar to the MM shortly before his Victoria Cross action.
Enlistment of Private William Henry Metcalf
Private William Henry Metcalf 22614 a barber by trade, enlisted on 29 August 1914 at Valcartier, Quebec with the 71st Regiment. He tried twice to join the CEF but was not yet 21 and needed the permission of his mother, who would not sign. The third time he “increased” his age and got in.
Son of Henry Lyon Metcalf and Theresa Metcalf (nee Varnum), but NoK listed as Mrs Thursa Rice, Dennysville, USA (against his mother’s wishes, he crossed the border to enlist). Transferred with LtCol McCleod of the 12th Battalion approving. Transferred to the 16th Battalion on 13 May 1915.
England
When William’s mother found out about his succesful enlistment, she raised the roof. And when his ship landed in England, the American Ambassador waiting at the dock and went down the line of men looking for one William Henry Metcalf. When he found a man by that name, he confronted him but the soldier said he was from St. David Parish, New Brunswick, not the particular Metcalf the Ambassador was looking for. The commander interjected hopefully that he knew there were a lot of Metcalfs in St. David Parish. The Ambassador withdrew.
First Wound Stripe
Slightly wounded, 7 July 1915 and returned to duty on 10 July 1915.
Appointed A/LCpl from 12 September 1916.
Military Medal
Awarded the Military Medal for Bravery in the Field, 10 February 1917.
Military Medal – Bar
Victoria Cross
Lance-Corporal Metcalf earned the Victoria Cross on 2 September 1918 near Cagnicourt in France during the Second Battle of Arras. On that day, the right flank of an attack by his battalion on a German trench was being held up by heavy resistance. Having assessed the situation, Metcalf hurried forward under intense machine gun fire to contact a tank passing to his left. Using a signal flag, he walked in front of the tank and directed it along the length of the enemy trench. As the tank fired down into the German trench, the machine gun positions were eliminated and heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy defenders. Though he was wounded in this action, Lance-Corporal Metcalf continued to advance until he was ordered out of the firing line to have his wound treated.
Victoria Cross Citation
“For most conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty in attack, when, the right flank of the battalion being held up, he realised the situation and rushed forward under intense machine-gun fire to a passing Tank on the left. With his signal flag he walked in front of the Tank, directing it along the trench in a perfect hail of bullets and bombs. The machine-gun strong points were overcome, very heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy, and a very critical situation was relieved.
Later, although wounded, he continued to advance until ordered to get into a shell hole and have his wounds dressed.
His valour throughout was of the highest standard.”- London Gazette, no.31012, 15 November 1918.
GWS left leg treated at Princess Patricia Canadian Red Cross Hospital, Bexhill and discharged to duty on 10 October 1918.
Cyrus Wesley Peck VC, DSO & Bar
William’s commanding officer LtCol Cyrus Peck also earned his Victoria Cross on 2 September 1918. The portly Peck an unlikely looking officer but reputed for his fearlessness. He earned the Victoria Cross in recognition of the leadership and valour he displayed during the assault on the Drocourt-Queant line.
Having braved heavy fire to reconnoitre enemy positions, Peck rallied his heavily damaged group and then led them to success.
Investiture
Metcalf received his VC from King George V on Jan. 26, 1919. He married an English nurse, Dorothy Winifred Holland (1898-1992), and returned to the USA where he worked as a mechanic.
They had four children (William Scott 1919-1993, Stuart Holland Metcalfe 1925-1998, Stanley Harold 1937-2018 and a daughter Sheila). Stanley a decorated veteran and recipient of 3 Bronze Stars and the Meritorious Service Medal.
Metcalf died in Lewiston, Maine on 8 August 1968. Survived by a grand-daughter, Katy Metcalf of Bangor, Maine. His VC held in the Canadian Scottish Museum in Victoria, BC.
Canadian Scottish Regiment Museum
In November 1998 the Canadian Scottish Regiment Museum held an exhibition of the Regiment’s Victoria Crosses, loaned to the museum by the Canadian War Museum and families of holders. Following an invitation by the museum’s curator, the son and grandson of William Metcalf journeyed from Maine and spent a week in the city during the period of the exhibition. Stanley Metcalf, William’s son, so impressed with the exhibition he decided to present his father’s Victoria Cross medal group, along with his scrapbook and other associated items to the Canadian Scottish Museum for permanent safekeeping.
Bay Side Cemetery, Eastport, Maine
William’s headstone as it stood for over fourty years at Bay Side Cemetery, Eastport, Maine, which overlooks New Brunswick.
At his funeral his casket covered with the Union Flag of Great Britain and among those in attendance more than forty members of the Royal Canadian Legion.
His grave now marked by a British Commonwealth grave marker emblazoned with the Victoria Cross.
Corporal William Metcalf, VC (CWM 19710261-0146)
Memorials
Headstone, Bayside Cemetery, Eastport, Maine, USA
Victoria Cross Commemoration Paving Stone, National Memorial, Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire
Victoria Cross Commemorative Plaque, British High Commission, Elgin Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Memorial Plaque, Villers-les-Cagnicourt, Nr Arras, France
Victoria Cross Commemorative Plaque, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia, USA
Memorial Plaque, Villers les Cagnicourt, Pas-de-Calais, France
Victoria Cross Memorial, Barrie Military Heritage Park, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada
Victoria Cross Memorial, York Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
