Konowal,Canadian VC.....

[Voltigeur]

Corporal Konowal was awarded the Victoria Cross at the Battle of Hill 70 in Lens, France for the following actions during 22- 24 August 1917: "For most conspicuous bravery and leadership when in charge of a section in attack. His section had the difficult task of mopping up cellars, craters and machine-gun emplacements. Under his able direction all resistance was overcome successfully, and heavy casualties inflicted on the enemy. In one cellar he himself bayonetted three enemy and attacked single-handed seven others in a crater, killing them all. On reaching the objective, a machine-gun was holding up the right flank, causing many casualties. Cpl. Konowal rushed forward and entered the emplacement, killed the crew, and brought the gun back to our lines. The next day he again attacked single-handed another machine-gun emplacement, killed three of the crew, and destroyed the gun and emplacement with explosives. This non-commissioned officer alone killed at least sixteen of the enemy, and during the two days' actual fighting carried on continuously his good work until severely wounded." Konowal, who was born in Kutkivtsi, Ukraine, is the only Ukrainian recipient of the VC. He served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during 1915 - 1919 and spent the rest of his life in Canada. He died in Quebec in 1959.

http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib...at=photographs

[regimentalrogue]

Long-lost Victoria Cross recovered

Globe and Mail; Wednesday, Apr. 08, 2009
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle1135372/

The RCMP seized a Canadian Victoria Cross medal from an auction house in London, Ont., yesterday, bringing an end to a 30-year search for a rare artifact many believed lost in the bowels of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

"We've always assumed [the museum]had the medal," said Royal Military College professor Lubomyr Luciuk, who is also director of research for the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

The Commonwealth's highest honour for bravery, the lost medal was awarded in 1917 to Ukrainian Canadian Filip Konowal for killing 16 German soldiers in hand-to-hand combat near Vimy Ridge.

"This is a part of all of Canada's heritage," Dr. Luciuk said yesterday, adding he is ecstatic that the medal has been found.

"It's a medal that belongs to all Canadians."

Of the more than 1,300 Victoria Crosses handed out, only 94 have gone to Canadians, Dr. Luciuk said. Mr. Konowal is the only Ukrainian Canadian to receive the award, he said.

The Canadian War Museum, which currently has 26 Victoria Crosses in its collection, bought the medal from Mr. Konowal's widow in 1969.

It went missing four years later, after it was removed for a photo session, museum spokesman Mark O'Neill said yesterday.

More at link.