Alan Arnett McLeod
At just eighteen, he fought off a German fighter plane while his aircraft burned, saving his observer and earning the Victoria Cross.
1899–1918 (age 19)·Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross·Birthday: April 20·The Lost Generation
Biography
Alan Arnett McLeod was a farm boy from Manitoba whose life was transformed by the First World War. He lied about his age to join the military, finding his calling in the Royal Flying Corps as a pilot of the notoriously unstable Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 biplane. His moment of supreme courage came on March 27, 1918, over the Western Front. While on a low-level bombing raid, his plane was attacked by a German Fokker Dr.I triplane. McLeod was wounded multiple times, and his aircraft caught fire, but he managed to crash-land in no-man's-land. Despite his injuries, he dragged his wounded observer from the wreckage and shielded him from exploding ammunition as they waited for rescue. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for this act, becoming one of the youngest recipients of the honor. Tragically, he succumbed to the Spanish flu pandemic later that same year, a brief, brilliant life cut short.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Alan was born in 1899, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1899
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1899Born
President: William McKinley
1904Started school
New York City opens its first subway line
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1912Became a teenager
Titanic sinks on its maiden voyage
President: William Howard Taft
1915Could drive
The Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat
President: Woodrow Wilson
1917Could vote
Russian Revolution overthrows the tsar; US enters WWI
President: Woodrow Wilson
1918Died at 19
World War I ends; Spanish flu pandemic kills millions
President: Woodrow Wilson
Key Achievements
- Awarded the Victoria Cross at age 18 for gallantry while serving as a pilot with the Royal Flying Corps.
- Successfully crash-landed a burning aircraft in no-man's-land while wounded, saving his observer's life.
- One of the youngest Canadian servicemen ever to receive the British Empire's highest award for military valor.
Did You Know?
He was only 15 years old when he initially tried to enlist in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
His Victoria Cross was presented to him by King George V at Buckingham Palace.
He served in the same squadron, No. 2 Squadron RFC, as another Canadian VC recipient, William George Barker.
“We are going down, but we'll give them a fight first.”
