WW1 Military Medal & Pair to 43rd Battalion, Dutch Canadian with an outstanding citation
MM, BWM and VM named to 151556 Pte. F. Binkhorst. 43rd Can. Inf.
WW1 28th Battalion (Saskatchewan Regiment) Canadian Expeditionary Force Military Medal (M.M) Group of Three, George V Military Medal awarded to 151556 Pte. F. Binkhorst. 43rd Can. Inf. (in capitals).
Awarded Military Medal for his actions during a German trench raid in the La Folie Sector on March 15, 1917. Pte. Binkhorst died at Vancouver, British Columbia on January 21, 1959.
Florent Binkhorst was a soldier in the Dutch Army prior to emigrating to Canada in 1912. According to his attestation papers he was born in South Africa but on ancestry it shows Florent's birth was at Flushing, Holland. He immigrated to Canada in 1912 with an intended destination of Montreal. He attested at Brandon, Manitoba in the 79th Battalion giving his occupation as a Fitter. His citation is as follows :
On the morning of 15th March, the enemy attempted to raid our trench between Patricia and Vernon craters. This man was in the Observation line on the crew of a Lewis gun which went out of action from a stoppage.
Though the enemy had been broken into the trench on his left and had almost surrounded the post, Pte. Binkhorst remained with his gun having become separated from his two companions, and by using his rifle and bombs single handed beat off the attack, held the post and saved the gun.
He has invariably shown similar courage and coolness. The raiding party consisted of 75 men in two parties, one of which attacked the post in question.
Has received no previous award. (A.F.W. 3121 27-3-17). He later transferred to the 3rd Machine Gun Company, he was also wounded on 5.9.18. His next of kin was residing at Deenstraat, Flushing, Holland. Post war he resided in Maple Ridge, B.C. - Also have a 43rd Battalion Cap Badge which came with this group to the purchaser if interested for an additional cost.
