George McLean, DCM

PRIVATE GEORGE MCLEAN, DCM

A Rancher who belonged to the Head of the Lake Indian Band in the Okanagan district of British Columbia, Private George McLean was a Canadian WWI War Hero, and the recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal

Private George McLean is the son of the notorious outlaw Allan McLean. Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Allan McLean His father, who was the leader of the infamous Wild McLean Boys, was executed at New Westminster in British Columbia on 31 January 1881. Kamloops Daily News

Birth

Private George McLean is reported to have been born at Kamloops in British Columbia, Canada, on 15 April 1875 Canadian Great War Project

Noble Lineage

Private George McLean was of Noble lineage. His mother Angele was the daughter of Johnny Chillihetza, Chief of the Douglas Lake Indian Band, and the niece of Nicola (Otherwise Hwistesmetxe'qen son of Pelka'mulox), Grand chief of the Okanagan people and Chief of the Nicola Valley peoples, who gave his name to the Nicola Country, now represented by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. His paternal grandmother was the daughter of Louis Clexlixqen, Hereditary Chief of the Kamloops Indian Band: Tk’emlups te Secwepemc.

A Veteran of Two Wars

Private George McLean served with the Canadian Mounted Rifles during the South African War. More than a decade later, he became one of nearly 2,000 members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force to earn the Distinguished Conduct Medal, the second-highest award for gallantry available to non-commissioned officers and private soldiers in the Great War. McLean enlisted in Vernon, British Columbia, in October 1916 and sailed for Great Britain almost immediately. He was in France with the 54th Battalion in December. In April 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, McLean launched a daring solo attack on a group of enemy soldiers. He was armed with about a dozen Mills bombs - small grenades nicknamed "pineapples", which exploded violently. McLean's attack was extremely effective. The private's citation describes the results: "Single-handed he captured nineteen prisoners, and later, when attacked by five more prisoners who attempted to reach a machine-gun, he was able - although wounded - to dispose of them unaided, thus saving a large number of casualties". During this action, McLean was shot in the arm by a sniper and was returned to Canada for medical treatment. He went back to British Columbia, and eventually became a fireman in the Vancouver region.

He returns Home

When he arrived back in Kamloops, after being discharged due to his wounds, he stood on the platform of the CPR station in Kamloops describing what happened at Vimy: "There were two machine guns playing on us and one of our officers got hit. I pulled him out of the mess, and at the time I was close to the Germans’ dugouts. I knew there were about 60 of the enemy there and I got hold of my bombs and just as I was in the act of pulling the pin my partner, who was close to me, got it in the head. Then I bombed them. And I bombed them again and again. I used nine bombs altogether and they ran like rabbits into their dugouts. After they ran into the dugout I kept bombing them until their sergeant-major threw up his hands shouting, ‘Don’t throw the bomb’ and I didn’t. He came out of the hole and handed me his automatic pistol and asked me how many there were of us and I said there were 150" The Armchair Mayor News by Mel Rothenburger

Death

Private George McLean died at Merritt in British Columbia, Canada, at a time unknown between 19.30 hours in the evening of 6 September 1934 and 08.30 hours on the morning of 7 September 1934. His body was found on 7 September 1934, lying face down on the ground, and his death was attributed to accidental suffocation, acute alcoholism being a contributory factor. This information is provided by the death registration certificate.
British Columbia Death Registrations

The following account of his tragic death was published in the Merritt Herald on Remembrance Day 2015: "His body found the morning of Sept. 7, 1934 in the bushes outside the old Munro barn. McLean had been seen around town late the night before, and his tethered horse was noticed standing alone ..... he likely died of suffocation and natural causes while alone in the bush. In a book he wrote on the Wild McLean gang, Rothenburger says that McLean spent the previous night, as he often did, getting drunk. Given that it wasn’t very cold out yet, he may have passed out, thrown up and choked on his own vomit." Merritt Herald: Remembrance Day 2015

Burial

Private George McLean was buried in Quilchena Cemetery, on the south shore of Nicola Lake, near the city of Merritt, British Columbia, Canada, on 9 September 1934.[His burial place is identified on his death registration certificate. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FL2D-VQ3 British Columbia Death Registrations]

Biographical Accounts

1. The Armchair Mayor News by Mel Rothenburger
2. Canadian Great War Project
3. Government of Canada: Veterans Affairs Canada
4. Merritt Herald: Remembrance Day 2015