William Henry Snyder Nickerson

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William Henry Snyder Nickerson bigraphy, stories - Recipient of the Victoria Cross

William Henry Snyder Nickerson : biography

27 March 1875 – 10 May 1954

Major-General William Henry Snyder Nickerson VC CB CMG (27 March 1875, Dorchester, New Brunswick – 1954), was a Canadian 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.

Victoria Cross

Nickerson was a 25 years old lieutenant in the Royal Army Medical Corps, of the British Army, attached to the Mounted Infantry during the Second Boer War when his actions at Wakkerstroom led to the award of the Victoria Cross. His citation reads:

Personal life

His family had returned to England when he was a child and he was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School, Manchester Grammar School and Owen’s College, the forerunner of the University of Manchester, graduating in medicine in 1896. He joined the RAMC in 1898.

He later achieved the rank of major general after service in World War I and was appointed Colonel-in-Chief of the RAMC in 1933. His grave is in the private burial ground at his home in Cour, Kintyre, Scotland.