John "Jock" Rennie

1920 - 1943  (22 years)

• Name	John "Jock" Rennie
  Born	13 Dec 1920	Aberdeen, , Aberdeen, Scotland   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Award	George Cross
  Military	WW2 - Sergeant - Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, (Princess Louise's) R.C.I.C.  [1]
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-160103P
  Died	29 Oct 1943	Riddlesworth, Norfolk, England   [1]
  Buried	Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, , Surrey, England
  Person ID	I160103	Generations
  Last Modified	28 Jan 2025

  
  

  Father	George Rennie,   b. 11 Nov 1888,   d. 15 Oct 1974  (Age 85 years)
  Mother	Agnes Gordon,   b. 12 Jan 1894,   d. 13 Aug 1945  (Age 51 years)
  Family ID	F45616	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  Acting Sergeant John Rennie, GC (13 December 1920 \endash 29 October 1943) was posthumously awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he displayed in protecting others after a training accident at Riddlesworth in Norfolk on 29 October 1943. Serving with The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), he was overseeing a grenade throwing drill when a live grenade rolled back into the trench his men were in. He pushed another man out of the way, picked up the grenade and attempted to throw it to safety as it exploded. He was mortally wounded but, by his sacrifice, had protected his comrades from the explosion. "Jock" Rennie was born in Aberdeen in Scotland in 1920 and had emigrated with his family to Kitchener, Ontario as a child.[1] A plaque in his honour is displayed on the wall of the John Weir Foote VCA Armouries on the east side of James Street North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. "Jock Rennie was awarded the George Cross posthumously in May 1944 for an instinctive, selfless act of heroism. Born in Aberdeen, Scotland, he came to Ontario with his family as a child and grew up in Kitchener, Ontario. Rennie enlisted in The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's) at Hamilton, Ontario in July 1940, and went overseas with them to England in the summer of 1943. On October 29, 1943, he was supervising a grenade-throwing exercise near Riddlesworth when a live grenade fell back into the trench. Rennie pushed one of his men aside and tried to throw the grenade clear. At that moment it exploded. His body shielded others from harm, but he died of his injuries."[2] He was buried in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, United Kingdom.[3] References [1] George Cross database Accessed 20 November 2007. Archived 16 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine [2] "Acting Sergeant John Rennie, G.C. 1919-1943". Ontario Plaques.com. Archived from the original on 14 May 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2007. [3] CWGC: John Rennie "John Rennie (GC) - Wikipedia". 2021. En.Wikipedia.Org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Rennie_(GC).

  
  

• Sources

  [S1886] Military - Canada - Second World War Service Files Canadian Armed Forces War Dead. Rennie, John 23 years Birthdate: 1920 Dec 13 Died: 1943 Oct 29 Rank: Sergeant Unit: Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders of Canada (Princess Louise's), R.C.I.C. Force: Army Service Number: B45960 Additional Details son of George & Agnes Rennie of Kitchener, Ontario

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 13 Dec 1920 - Aberdeen, , Aberdeen, Scotland Died - 29 Oct 1943 - Riddlesworth, Norfolk, England Buried - - Brookwood Military Cemetery, Brookwood, , Surrey, England  = Link to Google Earth