The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Bravery of heroic WWI Highlander awarded VC is honoured
Gordons: Museum kicks off events to honour all 19 given highest medal
The outstanding bravery of a young north-east soldier during one of the bloodiest battles of World War I was remembered yesterday.
Private George Imlach McIntosh braved a barrage of machine gun fire as he charged and single-handedly destroyed an “impregnable” German position.
His act of gallantry on July 31, 1917, in the thick of the Battle of Passchendaele, became a legend of the Gordon Highlanders.
Private McIntosh waded through a river, jumping from shell hole to shell hole under fire, before blowing up the machine-gun post with a grenade.
His actions saved the lives of many of his comrades, and saw him awarded the Victoria Cross by King George V.
Mr McIntosh’s bravery was the inspiration behind the Gordon Highlanders Association’s VC Commemoration, which began yesterday. It was launched at the regimental museum in Aberdeen.
Ex-soldiers and volunteers kicked off a series of events which will pay tribute to Fraserburghborn Mr McIntosh and the 18 other soldiers from the regiment awarded the VC.
The idea for this year’s events came from a chance encounter between Mr McIntosh’s relative, Grace McIntosh, and a former Gordon Highlander in 2014.
The VC Commemoration will involve events at schools in Huntly, Fraserburgh, Turriff and Aberdeen, highlighting the role of the Gordon Highlanders throughout their 200-year history.
It will culminate in a memorial parade and gathering in Mr McIntosh’s hometown of Buckie on July 29.
During yesterday’s gathering, World War I re-enactment society the Great War Boys recreated Mr McIntosh’s exploits, wearing exact replicas of the uniforms worn by the Gordon Highlanders during the conflict.
Speaking at the event, regimental secretary of the Gordon Highlanders Association, Major Grenville Irvine-Fortescue, said the VC events would “commemorate these extraordinarily courageous men who gave beyond the call of duty”.
He added: “We decided to do something and commemorate this special year.
“Really, the importance is not so much the medals themselves, it is more the people and extraordinary gallantry and courage they showed.
“Occasionally, an individual will have been found to have committed an action that deserves special recognition, but there is plenty that go unrecognised.” He also hailed the spirit of the regiment and its historic links with the north-east.
The museum’s learning officer Lewis Gibbon is a member of Great War Boys.
He said: “We need to keep these stories alive and not just lose them in the past.”