Thain Wendell MacDowell
| Thain Wendell MacDowell | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 16, 1890 Lachute, Quebec |
| Died | March 28, 1960 (aged 69) Nassau, Bahamas |
| Buried at | Oakland Cemetery, Brockville |
| Allegiance |
 Canada
|
| Service/branch | Canadian Expeditionary Force |
| Years of service | 1914 - 1927 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | 38th Battalion, CEF |
| Battles/wars | First World War |
| Awards |
Victoria Cross Distinguished Service Order |
Thain Wendell MacDowell, VC, DSO (September 16, 1890 – March 28, 1960), was a Canadian soldier. MacDowell was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Thain Wendell MacDowell was born in Lachute, Quebec on 16 September 1890. His early days were spent in the Brockville area, where he was educated at Brockville Collegiate Institute and joined the 41st Regiment "Brockville Rifles". He later attended the University of Toronto, where he joined the Canadian Officer Training Corps as an Officer Cadet of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada for four months. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1914, he enlisted and was commissioned in the 38th (Ottawa) Canadian Infantry Battalion (now perpetuated as The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (Duke of Edinburgh's Own)).
During service in France in 1916, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order on the Somme, and the following year, promoted to Major, he won the Victoria Cross at Vimy Ridge on April 9.
One of four soldiers to earn the Victoria Cross in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, one of two to survive the battle and the only to survive the war, (the others were Ellis Wellwood Sifton, William Johnstone Milne and John George Pattison), MacDowell was 26 years old, and a captain in the 38th (Ottawa) Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War when he was awarded the Victoria Cross.
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