William Davidson Bissett
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William Davidson Bissett
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|---|---|
| File:Bissettvc.jpg | |
| Born | 17 August 1893 St Martins, Perthshire |
| Died | 12 May 1971 (aged 77) Wrexham, Wales |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
 British Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | The Lancashire Fusiliers Royal Army Ordnance Corps Royal Pioneer Corps |
| Battles/wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Croix de Guerre avec Palme (France) |
Major William Davidson Bissett VC (7 August 1893 – 12 May 1971) was a Scottish 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.
Bissett was 25 years old, and a lieutenant in the 1/6th Battalion, The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's), British Army during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 25 October 1918 east of Maing, France, Lieutenant Bissett was commanding a platoon, but owing to casualties took command of the company and handled it with great skill when an enemy counter-attack turned his left flank. Realising the danger he withdrew to the railway, but the enemy continued to advance and when the ammunition was exhausted Lieutenant Bissett mounted the railway embankment under heavy fire and, calling for a bayonet charge, drove back the enemy with heavy loss and again charged forward, establishing the line and saving a critical situation.[1]
He also served with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps and Royal Pioneer Corps in World War II and achieved the rank of major.
Bissett's headstone is located in Aldershot Military Cemetery in Aldershot Military Town, Hampshire, England.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum in Stirling Castle, Scotland.
References
- ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31108. p. 306. 4 January 1919. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
- VCs of the First World War - The Final Days 1918 (Gerald Gliddon, 2000)
External links
- Use dmy dates from April 2012
- Pages with broken file links
- 1893 births
- 1971 deaths
- British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross
- British Army personnel of World War I
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders officers
- Royal Army Ordnance Corps officers
- Royal Pioneer Corps officers
- Recipients of the Croix de guerre 1914–1918 (France)
- People from Perth and Kinross
- Burials at Aldershot Military Cemetery
- British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
