ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

William McFadzean

William McFadzean was a man who lived a long time ago. He was born in Belfast, which is a place far away across the ocean in a different country called Northern Ireland. William was born on October 9, 1895. That's a really long time ago, even before your mom and dad were born!

When William grew up, he became a soldier. He fought in something called World War I, which was a big war that happened a long time ago. William was a very brave soldier, and he wanted to help his friends who were also soldiers. One day, he saw that his friends were in trouble. They needed something called a grenade, which is a small bomb that soldiers use in battle.

William wanted to help his friends, so he did something very brave. He took out some grenades, but while he was handling them, one accidentally fell down and wasn't working properly. William knew that it could explode at any moment, but he also knew that his friends needed a grenade. So he picked up the broken grenade and threw it away from his friends, where it exploded.

William saved his friends, but he got hurt very badly. He actually died from the injuries he got. But his bravery was remembered, and he was given a very special medal for his courage. It's called the Victoria Cross, which is a really important medal that only a few very brave soldiers are ever given.

So, in short, William McFadzean was a very brave soldier who died while trying to help his friends in a war a long time ago. He was remembered for his bravery and given a special medal called the Victoria Cross.