Born at Lachute, Quebec, MacDowell moved to Maitland in 1897. He attended local schools and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1915. During World War I, he enlisted, on January 9, 1915, in the 38th Battalion, C.E.F. On April 9, 1917, during the Battle of Vimy Ridge, assisted by two runners, he captured two machine guns, two officers, and seventy-five men. With the vision of the enemy obscured by a turn in a passage in their dug-out, he was able to convince them that he commanded a vastly superior force. His action eliminated a serious obstacle to the gaining of his battalion's objective, and he was awarded the British Empire's highest decoration for valour, the Victoria Cross.

Location

At the intersection of Maitland Road and County Road 2, Maitland

Themes

• People
• War and conflict