George Mullin VC
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George Harry Mullin VC (1891 - 1963)

George Harry Mullin VC
Born in Portland, Multnomah, Oregon, United Statesmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 13 Apr 1918 in Heaton, Lancashire, England, United Kingdommap
[children unknown]
Died at age 71 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canadamap
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Profile last modified | Created 28 Jun 2018
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Biography

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George Mullin VC is Notable.
George Mullin VC was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Mullin earned his VC on October 30th, a day that found his unit under fire by a German ‘pillbox’ fortification that had stopped the Canadian advance and inflicted heavy casualties. Moving out from behind cover, Mullin crept toward the German position while under heavy fire, stopping to take out an enemy sniper position along the way. Reaching the pillbox, he climbed on top, shot the two machine gunners inside with his revolver, then rushed to another entrance and forced the remaining ten occupants to surrender. By the time he’d seized the pillbox, Mullin’s clothes were riddled with bullets, but he was unharmed.

George was born in 1891 at Portland, Oregon to Harry Mullin and Effie May Kennedy[1]. The family moved to Canada when George was about 2 years old to join father Harry's two brothers who were homesteading in The Territories in the Moosomin area. By 1901 the family had moved west leaving George on the farm with their Uncle John Mullin[2]. Some sources indicate younger brother Roy also stayed behind, but it is more likely he moved west with the family and came back at a later age.[3]

George stayed on the farm until his enlistment in the Canadian Army on December 14, 1914. He enlisted in Winnipeg to the 32nd Battalion, CEF, was transferred to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in February of 1915 and by July was fighting in France as a sniper.[4] In June of 1916 George was wounded in battle at Sanctuary Wood near Ypres and was evacuated to England for convalescence. He rejoined his unit in September in the Somme where his brother Roy was killed in action.

On December 16, 1916 Mullin's actions in the La Folie Sector at Vimy Ridge warranted the award of the Military Medal. Mullin assisted in the reconnaissance of an enemy post, later killing the sentry, throwing bombs in the trench to delay enemy support and assisted in carrying his commander out of the crater.[5] While in England George met and married Bessie Dorothy Gardner. They married at St Thomas Heaton-Norton in Lancashire on April 13, 1918. She would accompany George to Canada on his return in July 1919.[6] Harry and Bessie would farm in near Moosomin until 1934.[7]

What followed was a rapid succession of promotions. Mullin remained a military man for a while after his return to Canada, joining the 1st Assiniboia Militia Regiment and rising to the rank of major.

In 1934, he came to Regina to serve as the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Saskatchewan Legislature, responsible for both the security of the Legislative Building and the ceremonial handling of the Mace, which symbolizes the authority of the House Speaker. Mullin left the position in 1941 to sign on with the Veterans Guard of Canada, where he stayed until 1947, guarding German prisoners of war—many of whom would salute him as he passed in recognition of his prestigious medal. In 1947, he resumed his role as Sergeant-at-Arms, and settled in Regina, remaining at the same address and job for the rest of his life.

In 1943, George Mullin married Mary Gear in Seebe, Alberta.[8] Mary Lessard was twice widowed and had 8 children from her previous marriage.

In the last ceremony before the provincial legislature ended its spring session in 1963, Mullin was awarded a plaque announcing that, in honour of his military service, a lake in the province’s far north would be named after him. Just a few hours later, in the early morning of April 6, he passed away at his Garnet Street home.

In addition to his VC and MM, he was also awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19 with Mentioned in Despatches oak leaf, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal 1939-45, War Medal 1939-45, George VI Coronation Medal 1937 and Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953.

In 2014 Princess Anne visited the Canadian Cross of Sacrifice in Arlington when she unveiled a plaque commemorating the four United States’ recipients of the Victoria Cross:[9]

  • Captain Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson VC, MC, Canadian Army Medical Corps attached to 75th Battalion (Mississauga)
  • Lance Corporal William Henry Metcalf VC, MM, 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish)
  • Sergeant George Harry Mullin, VC, MM*, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
  • Sergeant Raphael Louis Zengel VC, MM, 5th Battalion (Western Cavalry)

Sources

  1. ↑ * Oregon, U.S., State Births, 1842-1917: Oregon, Birth Records, 1842-1902, 1917 Ancestry Record 61676 #23885 Free Image Link
  2. ↑ Archives Canada, 1901 Census. "Mullin, John - Head." Library and Archives Canada. March 15, 2016. Accessed July 01, 2018. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1901/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=1044861.
  3. ↑ Archives Canada, 1916 Census. "Mullin, John - Head." Library and Archives Canada. October 16, 2015. Accessed July 01, 2018. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1916/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=1438550.
  4. ↑ WWI. "George Harry Mullin." Library and Archives Canada. October 24, 2016. Accessed June 28, 2018. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=206507.
  5. ↑ Archives Canada, WWI Medals - MM. "George Harry Mullin." Library and Archives Canada. October 16, 2015. Accessed June 28, 2018. http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/military-medals-1812-1969/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=84505&.
  6. ↑ Marriage: "England, Select Marriages, 1538-1973"
    Ancestry ca Record 9852 #36675154 (accessed 11 April 2022)
    George Harry Mullin marriage to Bessie Dorathy Gardner on 13 Apr 1918 in St. Thomas, Heaton-Norris, Lancashire, England.
  7. ↑ 1921 Census: "1921 Census of Canada"
    Reference Number: RG 31; Folder Number: 158; Census Place: 158, Qu'Appelle-Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan; Page Number: 17
    Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry ca Record 8991 #7493020 (accessed 17 April 2022)
    Harry Mullen (28), married, Farmer, head of household. Born in USA.
  8. ↑ Marriage: "Alberta, Canada, Marriages Index, 1898-1944"
    Provincial Archives of Alberta; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Alberta Marriage Indexes
    Ancestry ca Record 61560 #392151 (accessed 17 April 2022)
    Mary E Gear marriage to George H. Mullin in 1943 in Seebe, Alberta, Canada.
  9. ↑ Metcalfe, Nick. "The Canadian Cross of Sacrifice at Arlington National Cemetery." Sacrifice. October 29, 2015. Accessed June 29, 2018. https://ww1sacrifice.com/2015/10/29/the-canadian-cross-of-sacrifice-at-arlington-national-cemetery/.
  • “George H Mullin VC.” Thomas Cooke VC - Victoriacross, vconline.org.uk/george-h-mullin-vc/4587696698.

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Categories: Saskatchewan, Military Figures | Wounded in Action, Canada, World War I | Regina, Saskatchewan | Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry | Victoria Cross | Moosomin, North-West Territories | South Side Cemetery, Moosomin, Saskatchewan | Portland, Oregon | Notables