Harry Ranken
Harry Sherwood Ranken (September 3, 1883 - September 25, 1914) 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.
Details
He was 31 years old, and a Captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, British Army, attd. 1st Bn., The King's Royal Rifle Corps during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 19 and 20 September 1914 at Haute-Avesnes, France, Captain Ranken was severely wounded in the leg whilst attending to his duties on the battlefield under shrapnel and rifle fire. He arrested the bleeding from this and bound it up, then continued to dress the wounds of his men, sacrificing his own chance of survival to their needs. When he finally permitted himself to be carried to the rear his case had become almost desperate and he died within a short period.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Army Medical Services Museum (Aldershot, England).
References
- Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- SCOTLAND'S FORgotten VALOUR (Graham Ross, 1995)
- VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
External links
This page has been migrated from the Victoria Cross Reference with permission.