IN MEMORY OF A FALLEN HERO - Constable Robert G McBeath VC (Vancouver Police, Canada) : 無料・フリー素材/写真
IN MEMORY OF A FALLEN HERO - Constable Robert G McBeath VC (Vancouver Police, Canada) / conner395
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示 2.1 |
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| 説明 | Kinlochbervie War Memorial, adjacent to the Robert McBeath VC memorial As a Scottish soldier, he survived the horrors of World War One, earning the supreme Bravery Award in the process, only to die in the line of duty while serving as a Canadian policeman at the hands of an arrested man trying to escape from custody.Last Friday, a century on from his valiant actions as a 19 year old L/Cpl in the 1/5 Btn of the the Seaforth Highlanders, we gathered at Kinlochbervie War Memorial on the west coast of the County Sutherland. We were there to remember the man who was Robert Gordon McBeath, awarded the Victoria Cross for his valour in single-handedly attacking and capturing a nest of 5 enemy machine gun posts (and 33 enemy soldiers) in the Battle of Cambrai, France in November 1917. He received his VC from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 16th February 1918,Brought up in Kinlochbervie in NW Sutherland, he was demobbed from the Army in March 1919 and that August emigrated with his wife to the Province of British Columbia in Canada. In August 1921, he joined the Police Force of the City of Vancouver as a Police Constable.In the early hours of 9th October 1922, Constable McBeath and a colleague were on foot patrol in Granville Street, Vancouver when their attention was drawn to a motor car being driven very erratically and weaving from side to side. Suspecting the driver of being drunk and thus a danger to the public, Cst McBeath signalled the vehicle to stop but the driver took no heed, turning the car around and attempting to drive away. Both officers then jumped on the running boards, forcing the driver to stop.Cst McBeath arrested the driver and began leading him to a nearby police call box, whereupon the driver struggled and produced a hand gun, shooting Cst McBeath in the chest.The driver and the other officer then fired at each other, the driver winging the other officer before making off, and the other officer then tended to Cst McBeath who was clearly badly wounded.Constable Robert McBeath, still only 23 years of age, sadly died of his injuries shortly after being admitted to hospital. His funeral was the largest ever held in Vancouver, and he was buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver.So on Friday past, as well as honouring him as brave soldier, we also honoured him as a brave fallen police officer - and I a retired police officer and a police historian was thrilled to have been invited to the ceremony, which I attended along with Chief Supt George MacDonald and Supt Philip MacRae of Police Scotland's Highlands & Islands Division.George, who until his recent appointment as Divisional Commander at Inverness served in the former Grampian Police area, hails from NW Sutherland. Philip joined Northern Constabulary and has served in various locations around the Highlands & Islands. My 30 year service in Northern Constabulary also included 3 years in Sutherland (at Helmsdale on the east coast). We were also joined by Garry Cameron, also a retired Northern Constabulary officer, who is now Highland Council Ward Manager for North, West and Central Sutherland.The event, to unveil the new plaque commemorating Robert McBeath, was held a couple of months earlier than the actual centenary of the events which saw the award of the VC - as it was envisaged September weather would be somewhat more lenient that that of November (after all it is still late summer - or perhaps early autumn).Sadly that was not the case. A slight drizzle at the start was perhaps appropriate for such a sad ceremony, but as the event continued, so we experienced all four seasons in half an hour, including a severe sleet shower before the sun suddenly appeared just as the ceremony concluded. The inclement weather was at least coming from the rear of the assembled crowd - but pity the poor speakers who were blasted full in the face by it. Full credit to all of the speakers though - they kept on regardless!It was therefore a delight to then repair to Kinlochbervie High School where we could shed our drookit overcoats, dry out and enjoy a welcoming hot cuppa and delicious finger buffet, along with much pleasant chat with friends old and new.Full marks must go to the staff and pupils of KLB High School for arranging the event so well, and to the Queens Own Highlanders (Camerons & Seaforths) Regimental Association and Highland Council for their support, plus of course the many local people who also turned out.Robert McBeath - soldier and policeman - may lie thousands of miles away but his memory lives on in the Highlands of Scotland. |
| 撮影日 | 2017-09-15 11:12:11 |
| 撮影者 | conner395 , Inverness, Scotland |
| タグ | |
| 撮影地 | Kinlochbervie, Scotland, United Kingdom 地図 |
| カメラ | VG110,D700 , OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. |
| 露出 | 0.005 sec (1/200) |
| 開放F値 | f/5.2 |