Memorial to Walter Lorrain Brodie, Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh
Lieutenant Colonel
Walter Lorrain BrodieVCMC (28 July 1884 – 23 August 1918) was a Scottish 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.
Life
He was born on 28 July 1884 the son of John Wilson Brodie,[1] an Edinburgh chartered accountant, and his wife Grace Mary Lorrain. The family lived at 13 Belgrave Place in Edinburgh's fashionable West End.[2] At the time of Walter's death they had moved to a nearby house at 23 Belgrave Crescent. He was educated at Edinburgh Academy then at the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
For conspicuous gallantry near Becelaere on the 11th November, in clearing the enemy out of a portion of our trenches which they had succeeded in occupying. Heading the charge, he bayonetted several of the enemy, and thereby relieved a dangerous situation.
As a result of Lieutenant Brodie's promptitude, 80 of the enemy were killed, and 51 taken prisoners.[5]
Brodie personally killed nine men in the attack. In a letter to his parents the following day he described the event as "a bit of a scrape".
He was a Scottish Freemason having been Initiated in Lodge Canongate Kilwinning, No. 2, (Edinburgh) on 7 February, was Passed a Fellow of Craft on 28 February and Raised a Master Mason on 28 March 1906.[11]
Memorials
He is memorialised on his parents' grave in the modern north extension to Dean Cemetery in western Edinburgh. A memorial to Brodie also exists in the New Club on Princes Street of which he was a member.[4] A pavement memorial was installed at Brodie's home in Belgrave Place, Edinburgh, around 2020.
