Corporal Ellis Wellwood Sifton

Corporal, 18th Battalion, Infantry (Army).

Victoria Cross
Description: "For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. During the attack in enemy trenches Sjt. Sifton's company was held up by machine gun fire which inflicted many casualties. Having located the gun he charged it single-handed, killing all the crew. A small enemy party advanced down the trench, but he succeeded keeping these off till our men had gained the position. In carrying out this gallant act he was killed, but his conspicuous valour undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed largely to the success of the operation."
Date of award: 1917-06-08
Date of award: 1917-04-09
Source: London Gazette
Comment: On 9 April 1917 at Neuville-St.-Vaast, France, during an attack on enemy trenches, Lance-Sergeant Sifton's company was held up by machine-gun fire which inflicted many casualties. The sergeant located the gun and charged it alone, killing all the crew. A small enemy party then advanced down the trench but he managed to hold them off with bayonet and clubbed rifle until his comrades arrived and ended the unequal fight, but in carrying out this gallant act he was killed. His conspicuous valour undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed largely to the success of the operation

The Legacy Voices Poject - 95th Anniversary of Vimy

Son of John J. Sifton, of Wallacetown, Ontario. Born on 12 October 1891. In civilian life, Lance Sergeant Sifton had been a farmer. He enlisted on October 23, 1914 at St. Thomas, Ontario. Lance Sergeant Sifton is buried in the Lichfield Crater Cemetery near Neuville-Saint-Vaast, France.

Served for 5 years with the Wallacetown rifles.

File digitized at LAC

Victoria Cross recipient

Extract from Attestation paper:

Son of John J. Sifton, of Wallacetown, Ontario. In civilian life, Lance Sergeant Sifton had been a farmer. He enlisted on October 23, 1914 at St. Thomas, Ontario. Lance Sergeant Sifton is buried in the Lichfield Crater Cemetery near Neuville-Saint-Vaast, France.Served for 5 years with the Wallacetown rifles.

Details from his Burial Registration form:

During an attack on the enemy trenches East of NEUVILLE ST. VAAST, his company was held up by machine gun fire which inflicted many casualties. Having located the gun he charged it single handed and killed all the crew. A small enemy party advanced down the trench, but he succeeded in keeping these off until his own men had gained the position. In carrying out this gallant act he was killed but his conspicuous valor undoubtedly saved many lives and contributed largely to the success of the operation. For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty during this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

· Sifton was born in Wallacetown, Ontario and was a farmer when he enlisted. One of four soldiers to earn the Victoria Cross in the Battle of Vimy Ridge (the others were Thain Wendell MacDowell , William Johnstone Milne and John George Pattison ), Sifton was 25 years old, and a Lance Sergeant in the 18th (Western Ontario) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

On 9 April 1917 at Neuville-St.-Vaast, France, during an attack on enemy trenches, Lance-Sergeant Sifton's company was held up by machine-gun fire.

During an attack on Vimy Ridge, "C" Company of the 18th Battalion was held up during its advance by German machine gunners who had survived the artillery barrage by taking refuge in concrete shelters. As the Canadians moved forward, the enemy's machine guns swept the battlefield, causing heavy casualties. Sifton saw the enemy's machine gun nest first. He jumped up, rushed forward and leapt into the trench. He then charged into the enemy gun crew and knocked the gun over before turning on the gunners with his bayonet, killing each man.More Canadians hurried forward, but not before a small German party moved down the trench towards Sifton. He used his bayonet and his rifle as a club to fight them off until help arrived. Despite these efforts, Sifton was killed during the fighting.

1. ^ a b c d e Pro Valore: Canada's Victoria Cross. Governor General of Canada. 2008. p. 68. 2. ^ "Commonwealth War Graves Commission - E W Sifton". http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=618483. · Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)· The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)

· Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online· Legion Magazine Article on Ellis Wellwood Sifton· Find-A-Grave profile for Ellis Wellwood Sifton· Ellis Wellwood Sifton: Directorate of History and Heritage Victoria Cross Biography

The Legacy Voices Project 95th Anniversary

Info from the attestation papers and this man is on the CWGC site. Info also from www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellis_Wellwood_Sifton

Details of death from Ancestry.com which includes a digitized image of the casualty form from the "Canada, War Graves Registers (Circumstances of Casualty), 1914-1948” database