Lorne MacLaine Campbell
Encyclopedia
Brigadier Lorne MacLaine Campbell VC
, DSO
& Bar
, OBE
, TD
(22 July 1902 - 25 May 1991) 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.
, and then at Dulwich College
in South London
between 1915 and 1921 (as was his uncle and fellow recipient of the Victoria Cross
, Vice-Admiral Gordon Campbell VC). Between 1921 and 1925 he attended Merton College, Oxford
, where he was President of the Junior Common Room and of the Myrmidon Club
and graduated with a second class degree in Literae Humaniores
.
In August 1939, his unit, 8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion was mobilised for war service. In France in 1940 he was awarded the DSO for gallant leadership during the 51st Highland Division's entrapment at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
, where two battalions and the divisional commander were captured. At Alamein
, he received a bar to his DSO for his part in the capture of important objectives. In 1942 and 1943, he commanded 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in north Africa, during which time he won his VC, and in April 1943, Campbell became acting Commander of the 153rd Infantry Brigade
. He took command of 13th Infantry Brigade in May 1943, serving in Syria, Egypt, Sicily and Italy until September 1944. Within this period, for eight days in April 1944, he was acting General Officer Commanding
, 5th Infantry Division in Italy. Campbell ended the war in Washington D.C. as a Brigadier with the British Army Staff.
in the 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's), British Army
, Commander during the Second World War when the following action took place at Wadi Akarit in Tunisia, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross:
(b.1937) and Patrick Gordon Campbell (b.1939).
.
Victoria Cross
8 June 1943
Distinguished Service Order
18 October 1940, 4 May 1943
Officer of the Order of the British Empire 8 June 1968
Territorial Decoration
2 December 1941
Mentioned in Despatches 29 June 1941, 13 January 1944, 24 August 1944, 23 June 1945
Officer, Legion of Merit
(United States) 20 January 1947
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....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
& Bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, TD
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
(22 July 1902 - 25 May 1991) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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
Lorne MacLaine Campbell was the eldest of three sons of Colonel Ian Maxwell Campbell, CBE and Hilda Mary Wade. He was schooled at the Dulwich College Preparatory SchoolDulwich College Preparatory School
Dulwich Preparatory School DCPS is a private preparatory school in Dulwich, south London, England for children aged 3–13 years. It was founded in 1885, and is the largest boys preparatory school in the United Kingdom. It will be known formally as "Dulwich Prep London" from September 2011.The...
, and then at Dulwich College
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is an independent school for boys in Dulwich, southeast London, England. The college was founded in 1619 by Edward Alleyn, a successful Elizabethan actor, with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars as the foundation of "God's Gift". It currently has about 1,600 boys,...
in South London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
between 1915 and 1921 (as was his uncle and fellow 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....
, Vice-Admiral Gordon Campbell VC). Between 1921 and 1925 he attended Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he was President of the Junior Common Room and of the Myrmidon Club
Myrmidon Club
The Myrmidon Club is a dining club elected from the male undergraduate members of Merton College, Oxford. Founded in 1865, it is one of the handful of such clubs with an almost continuous existence from the second half of the 19th century...
and graduated with a second class degree in Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores
Literae Humaniores is the name given to an undergraduate course focused on Classics at Oxford and some other universities.The Latin name means literally "more humane letters", but is perhaps better rendered as "Advanced Studies", since humaniores has the sense of "more refined" or "more learned",...
.
Military service
Campbell was commissioned into The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Territorial Army) on 23 September 1921.In August 1939, his unit, 8th (The Argyllshire) Battalion was mobilised for war service. In France in 1940 he was awarded the DSO for gallant leadership during the 51st Highland Division's entrapment at Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Saint-Valery-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small fishing port and light industrial town situated in the Pays de Caux, some west of Dieppe at the junction of the D53, D20, D79 and the D925 roads...
, where two battalions and the divisional commander were captured. At Alamein
Alamein
Alamein can refer to:*El Alamein, a town in Egypt*First and Second Battle of El Alamein, during World War II*Alamein railway line, Melbourne, Australia**Alamein railway station on the line*HMS Alamein, a destroyer of the Royal Navy...
, he received a bar to his DSO for his part in the capture of important objectives. In 1942 and 1943, he commanded 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in north Africa, during which time he won his VC, and in April 1943, Campbell became acting Commander of the 153rd Infantry Brigade
153rd Infantry Brigade (United Kingdom)
153rd Infantry Brigade, part of The 51st Division, was a British Territorial Army brigade that fought during the Second World War. The division was referred to as the "Highway Decorators" by other divisions who became used to discovering the 'HD' insignia painted wherever the Highlanders had...
. He took command of 13th Infantry Brigade in May 1943, serving in Syria, Egypt, Sicily and Italy until September 1944. Within this period, for eight days in April 1944, he was acting General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding
General Officer Commanding is the usual title given in the armies of Commonwealth nations to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC II Corps or GOC 7th Armoured Division...
, 5th Infantry Division in Italy. Campbell ended the war in Washington D.C. as a Brigadier with the British Army Staff.
Victoria Cross
Campbell was a 40 years old temporary Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the 7th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's), 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...
, Commander during the Second World War when the following action took place at Wadi Akarit in Tunisia, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross:
On the 6th April, 1943, in the attack upon the Wadi Akarit position, the task of breaking through the enemy minefield and anti-tank ditch to the East of the Roumana feature and of forming the initial bridgehead for a Brigade of the 51st Highland Division was allotted to the Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell. The attack had to form up in complete darkness and had to traverse the main offshoot of the Wadi Akarit at an angle to the line of advance. In spite of heavy machine gun and shell fire in the early stages of the attack, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell successfully accomplished this difficult operation, captured at least 600 prisoners and led his Battalion to its objective, having to cross an unswept portion of the enemy minefield in doing so. Later, upon reaching his objective he found that a gap which had been blown by the Royal Engineers in the anti-tank ditch did not correspond with the vehicle lane which had been cleared in the minefield. Realising the vital necessity of quickly establishing a gap for the passage of anti-tank guns, he took personal charge of this operation. It was now broad daylight and, under very heavy machine-gun fire and shell fire, he succeeded in making a personal reconnaissance and in conducting operations which led to the establishing of a vehicle gap. Throughout the day Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell held his position with his Battalion in the face of extremely heavy and constant shell fire, which the enemy was able to bring to bear by direct observation. About 1630 hours determined enemy counter-attacks began to develop, accompanied by tanks. In this phase of the fighting Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell's personality dominated the battle field by a display of valour and utter disregard for personal safety, which could not have been excelled. Realising that it was imperative for the future success of the Army plan to hold the bridgehead his Battalion had captured, he inspired his men by his presence in the forefront of the battle, cheering them on and rallying them as he moved to those points where the fighting was heaviest. When his left forward company was forced to give ground he went forward alone, into a hail of fire and personally reorganised their position, remaining with the company until the attack at this point was held. As reinforcements arrived upon the scene he was seen standing in the open directing the fight under close range fire of enemy infantry and he continued to do so although already painfully wounded in the neck by shell fire. It was not until the battle died down that he allowed his wound to be dressed. Even then, although in great pain, he refused to be evacuated, remaining with his Battalion and continuing to inspire them by his presence on the field. Darkness fell with the Argylls still holding their positions, though many of its officers and men had become casualties. There is no doubt that but for Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell's determination, splendid example of courage and disregard of pain, the bridgehead would have been lost. This officer's gallantry and magnificent leadership when his now tired men were charging the enemy with the bayonet and were fighting them at hand grenade range, are worthy of the highest honour, and can seldom have been surpassed in the long history of the Highland Brigade.
Personal life
In December 1935 he married Amy Muriel Jordan. The couple had two sons, Alastair Lorne Campbell of AirdsAlastair Lorne Campbell of Airds
Alastair Lorne Campbell of Airds is a Scottish officer of arms and author. Campbell of Airds was appointed Unicorn Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary in 1987. In 2008 he was appointed Islay Herald Extraordinary.He is the son of Lorne MacLaine Campbell of Airds....
(b.1937) and Patrick Gordon Campbell (b.1939).
Honours and awards
His medals are on display at the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum in Stirling CastleStirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in Scotland. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by steep...
.
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....
8 June 1943
Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
18 October 1940, 4 May 1943
Officer of the Order of the British Empire 8 June 1968
Territorial Decoration
Territorial Decoration
The Territorial Decoration was a medal of the United Kingdom awarded for long service in the Territorial Force and its successor, the Territorial Army...
2 December 1941
Mentioned in Despatches 29 June 1941, 13 January 1944, 24 August 1944, 23 June 1945
Officer, Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(United States) 20 January 1947