John Rennie (GC)
Acting Sergeant John Rennie, GC (13 December 1920 – 29 October 1943) was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he displayed in protecting others after a training accident at Riddlesworth in Norfolk on 29 October 1943.
John Rennie GC | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Jock |
| Born | 13 December 1920 Aberdeen, Scotland |
| Died | 29 October 1943 (aged 22) Riddlesworth, Norfolk, England |
| Buried | Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Service/ | Canadian Army |
| Rank | Acting Sergeant |
| Unit | The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) |
| Awards | George Cross |
Serving with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), he was overseeing a grenade throwing drill when a live grenade rolled back into the trench his men were in. He pushed another man out of the way, picked up the grenade and attempted to throw it to safety as it exploded. He was mortally wounded but, by his sacrifice, had protected his comrades from the explosion. "Jock" Rennie was born in Aberdeen in Scotland in 1920 and had emigrated with his family to Kitchener, Ontario as a child.