A SOLDIER is to be honoured with a special memorial stone in his hometown on the 100th anniversary of the battle which claimed his life.
William Johnstone Milne VC was born in Cambusnethan, Wishaw on December 21, 1892 before moving to Canada in 1910.
He joined the army in September 1915 and became a private in the 16th (The Canadian Scottish) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force.
William was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions near Thelus, France, during the bloody Battle of Vimy Ridge and he died on April 9, 1917.
Private Milne’s body was never found, but he is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial in France.
Seventy men from Canada received the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for gallantry, during the First World War.
The ceremony will take place at Cambusnethan Old and Morningside Parish Church in Wishaw on Friday, April 7 at 11.00am.
The Canadian Defence, Chief of Staff, LCol Simon Rushen will be representing Canada at the ceremony.
The UK Government announced a campaign to remember Victoria Cross recipients from the First World War. As part of this, commemorative paving stones will be laid in the birth place of recipients to provide a lasting legacy within communities.
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