Alan McLeod VC Avenue

This road is named in honour of 2^nd Lieutenant Alan Arnett McLeod, VC.

The youngest Canadian to earn the Victoria Cross, Alan Arnett McLeod, was awarded the VC at the age of 18. Alan was born in Stonewall, Manitoba on April 20, 1899. He showed an early affinity for the military and in 1913, although 4 years under age, he joined the 34^th Fort Garry Horse for summer training. When the First World War started, he tried to enlist several times and was rejected each time because he was underage. Finally in 1917, just days after his 18^th birthday, he entered the Royal Flying Corps in Toronto. By August, he was sent overseas to England and by the end of the year; he was flying missions over France. On March 27, 1918, Alan & his gunner Lt. A.W. Hammond, M.C. were on a mission when they were attacked by 8 German triplanes. During the ensuing gunfight, both McLeod and Hammond were wounded several times. A bullet struck their gas tank and their plane caught fire. McLeod climbed out on the wing and continued to fly the plane while Hammond continued to fire at the enemy planes. They managed to shoot down three enemy planes before they crashed in “No Man’s Land”. Alan McLeod was wounded again as he dragged Hammond to safety. He received his VC on September 4, 1918, and returned to Manitoba to recover from his wounds, but contracted influenza and died November 6, 1918.

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2^nd Lieutenant Alan Arnett McLeod, VC, citation from The London Gazette, dated May 1, 1918.

"While flying with his observer, Lieutenant A. W. Hammond, M.C., attacking hostile formations by bombs and machine gun fire, he was assailed at a height of 5,000 feet by eight enemy triplanes which dived at him from all directions, firing from their front guns. By skilful manoeuvring he enabled his observer to fire bursts at each machine in turn, shooting three of them down out of control. By this time Lieutenant McLeod had received five wounds, and while continuing the engagement a bullet penetrated his petrol tank and set the machine on fire.

He then climbed out on to the left bottom plane, controlling his machine from the side of the fusilage, and by sideslipping steeply kept the flames to one side, thus enabling the observer to continue firing until the ground was reached.

The observer had been wounded six times when the machine crashed in "No Man's Land" and 2^nd Lieutenant McLeod, notwithstanding his own wounds, dragged him away from the burning wreckage at great personal risk from heavy machine-gun fire from the enemy's lines. This very gallant pilot was again wounded by a bomb whilst engaged in this act of rescue, but he persevered until he had placed Lieutenant Hammond in comparative safety, before falling himself from exhaustion and loss of blood."