Angus Buchanan
Encyclopedia
Angus Buchanan, VC
, MC
(11 August 1894 – 1 March 1944) was an English 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.
. He was educated at Monmouth School
, where he was head boy. In 1913 he went to Jesus College, Oxford
to study Classics. One of his tutors described him as "Thoroughly Scotch and rather reserved, but a hard worker & likely to be a good influence in the Coll[ege]". He rowed for the College in 1914, played rugby and was Secretary of the Athletics Club. He then joined the army, where he served in Gallipoli
and Mesopotamia. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1916, and was mentioned four times in despatches.
in the 4th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, British Army
during the First World War
when the following deed took place on 5 April 1916 at Falauyah Lines, Mesopotamia
, for which he was awarded the VC. The award was announced in a supplement to the London Gazette
of 26 September 1916, and read:
In July 1916 he was also awarded the Russian
decoration of the Order of St. Vladimir 4th Class (with Swords)
.
in Brecon
.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(11 August 1894 – 1 March 1944) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Early life
Buchanan was the son of a doctor from Coleford, GloucestershireColeford, Gloucestershire
Coleford is a small market town in Gloucestershire, England in the west of the Forest of Dean with a population of 8,351 . It is situated some four miles east of the Welsh border, and is close to the Wye Valley, a popular walking and canoeing area...
. He was educated at Monmouth School
Monmouth School
Monmouth School is an HMC boys' boarding and day school in Monmouth, Monmouthshire in south east Wales. It was founded in 1614 by William Jones. It is run as a trust, the William Jones's Schools Foundation, by the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers, one of the Livery Companies...
, where he was head boy. In 1913 he went to Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College is one of the colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship Street, Cornmarket Street and Market Street...
to study Classics. One of his tutors described him as "Thoroughly Scotch and rather reserved, but a hard worker & likely to be a good influence in the Coll[ege]". He rowed for the College in 1914, played rugby and was Secretary of the Athletics Club. He then joined the army, where he served in Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
and Mesopotamia. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1916, and was mentioned four times in despatches.
Award of the Victoria Cross
Buchanan was 21 years old, and a temporary captainCaptain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the 4th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when the following deed took place on 5 April 1916 at Falauyah Lines, Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, for which he was awarded the VC. The award was announced in a supplement to the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
of 26 September 1916, and read:
In July 1916 he was also awarded the Russian
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
decoration of the Order of St. Vladimir 4th Class (with Swords)
Order of St. Vladimir
The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
.
Later life
Buchanan was shot in the head in 1917 by a sniper and blinded. He returned to Jesus College after the war and read law, rowing for the college in 1919 despite his blindness. After graduating in 1921, he worked in a solicitor's office in Oxford before returning to Coleford to work until his death in 1944. He returned to Monmouth School in 1921 for the ceremony marking the dedication of the school's war memorial. Funds were raised in Coleford to mark his bravery, which he asked to be used to give children somewhere to play. He is buried in Coleford Cemetery, next to the recreation field named in his honour. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the South Wales Borderers MuseumSouth Wales Borderers Museum
The South Wales Borderers Museum is located at Brecon in Wales and is the regimental museum of the 24th Regiment of Foot. The museum's collection is made up of artefacts collected from a variety of sources from around the world and which display the regiment's 300 year history.-The collection:The...
in Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
.