Prince Edward Island is proud to have been home to two
military servicemen, Captain Frederick Thornton Peters
and Sergeant Charles A. MacGillivary, who received the
highest honours for bravery awarded by Canada’s two
principal allies of the twentieth century. Not only did
they receive the highest award for valour, but both were
adorned with three additional, unrelated decorations for
bravery.
Captain Frederick Thornton Peters: 
Victoria Cross
Distinguished Service Order, 1915
Distinguished Service Cross and Bar
Distinguished Service Cross (United States Army)
Born in Charlottetown in 1889, Frederick Thornton Peters
was the son of Frederick Peters, KC who later became
premier of the province. He attended a private school at
St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral, Charlottetown and
then moved with his family to Victoria, British Columbia.
In 1905, at age 16, Peters earned his parents’
permission to join the Royal Navy in England. Peters has
the unique distinction of having both planned and carried
out the action for which he was awarded the Victoria
Cross (most recipients have only either planned or
carried out the valorous acts). He also has the honour of
being the first Canadian to be awarded the Distinguished
Service Order for naval action. Furthermore, at the time
of the action in question, Peters was a mere lieutenant,
when most recipients are senior officers. Peters received
gallantry awards in both World Wars: two in the First,
and three in the Second. Indeed, he was the only man to
receive the Distinguished Service Order in World War I
and then the Victoria Cross 27 years later. The United
States Distinguished Service Cross, which Peters was
awarded posthumously in 1942, is the highest decoration
for bravery that a nation can award a foreign service person.
Sergeant Charles A. MacGillivary:
Medal of Honour
Distinguished Service Cross (United States Army)
Bronze Star
Soldiers Medal
Purple Heart
Croix de Guerre
Charles A. MacGillivary was born in Charlottetown in 1917
to Cardigan Scot Roland MacGillivary and Minnie Quinn of
Lot 65. He attended Queens Square School in Charlottetown
and joined the merchant marines at age 16. By 1940, this
was hazardous work, travelling between Liverpool,
Halifax, and Boston on a regular basis. In January 1941,
he joined the U.S. Army as a private soldier and was
assigned to the European theatre of operations which was
to include campaigns in North Africa and Italy, the
Normandy invasion, and the Battle of the Bulge.
MacGillivary was decorated for each of these campaigns.
On August 25, 1945, U.S. President Harry S. Truman
awarded MacGillivary the Medal of Honour for his actions
on New Year’s Day 1945 when, in spite of their dire
situation, he successfully convinced the other men in his
squad not to surrender to the surrounding SS troops. This
battle saw Sergeant MacGillivary seriously wounded above
and beyond the loss of his left arm. Subsequent to these
injuries, MacGillivary was awarded the Purple Heart with
three Clusters.
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