Born in Comber, Northern Ireland, in 1883, De Wind immigrated to Canada and was working at the Canadian Bank of Commerce in Edmonton when the First World War started. De Wind enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force and arrived in France with the 2nd Division in 1915. He went on to fight at the Somme, St. Eloi, Ypres and Vimy Ridge.
After officer training in England in the fall of 1917, De Wind was commissioned with a British unit, the Royal Irish Rifles. He was serving in France again when the Germans began their spring offensive in 1918. Near Grugies, De Wind held an important position almost single-handedly for hours, despite being wounded twice. He was also twice able to clear the enemy from the trench under heavy machine-gun and rifle fire.
“He continued to repel attack after attack until he was mortally wounded and collapsed,” said his citation for the Victoria Cross, awarded posthumously for his actions that day. “His valour, self-sacrifice and example were of the highest order.”
Mount De Wind in Alberta was also named in his honour.
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