Private Robert Matthew Beatham Unit: 8th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 9 August 1918, Rosieres, east of Villers-Bretonneux, France Beatham, 24, was part of the push towards Lihons when his battalion was held up by fierce opposition. Beatham and Lance-Corporal William George Nottingham, DCM, MM, rushed the enemy position. The citation says: ``(The two men) fought the crews of four enemy machine-guns, killing 10 of them and capturing 10 others. The bravery of the action greatly facilitated the advance of the whole battalion and prevented casualties. "In fighting the crew of the first gun (Beatham) was shot through the right leg but continued in the advance. When the final objective was reached, although previously wounded, he again dashed forward and bombed a machine-gun, being riddled with bullets and killed in doing so. "The valour displayed by this gallant soldier inspired all ranks in a wonderful manner.'' A letter from his company commander differs with the citation in saying Beatham was killed by a sniper shot to the head as he returned to the Australian position after capturing the machine-gun post. Biography: The war took a heavy toll on the Beatham family. Of the seven brothers who served, four died (including Robert) and one spent two years as a prisoner of war. Beatham was born in Cumberland, England on 16 June 1894 and migrated to Australia as a teenager. He was working as a labourer in Geelong, Victoria when he enlisted in the AIF in January 1915. He was shipped out from Melbourne in April, but was sent home again from Egypt with a medical condition. He arrived in Gallipoli in December 1915, and was twice wounded in action, in France in August 1916 and Belgium in October 1917. He also spent 92 days in hospital and at division base at Etaples in early 1917 for illness. He is buried at Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres. His medal was sold in 1999 for a record price for an Australian VC of $178,500.
Second Lieutenant Frederick Birks Second Lieutenant Frederick Birks Unit: 6th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 20 September 1917, Glencorse Wood, east of Ypres, Belgium Birks, 23, and Corporal William Johnston, attacked a pillbox which was holding up the advance. Johnston was wounded when he deliberately threw himself at a bomb that was thrown at Birks, saving Birks' life. The citation says: ``Birks went on by himself, killed the remainder of the enemy occupying the position, and captured a machine-gun. Shortly afterwards he organised a small party and attacked another strong point, which was occupied by about 25 of the enemy, of whom many were killed and an officer and 15 men captured. "During the consolidation this officer did magnificent work in reorganising parties of other units which had been disorganised during the operations. By his wonderful coolness and personal bravery 2nd Lieutenant Birks kept his men in splendid spirits throughout. He was killed at his post by a shell whilst endeavouring to extricate some of his men who had been buried by a shell.'' Biography: Birks first encountered enemy fire when he single-handedly carried wounded men from the cliffs of Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 where it was impossible to carry a stretcher. Born on 16 August 1894 in Buckley, Wales, he worked in a nearby steelworks until migrating to Australia in 1913. He worked in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria for a year before enlisting in the AIF on 18 August 1914 and being posted to the 2nd Field Ambulance. He was wounded at Cape Helles on May 1915, and again the following month. He was a stretcher bearer at the first battle of the Somme and was awarded the Military Medal at Pozieres. He was selected for officer training in February 1917 and joined the 6th Battalion in May. He was buried in China Wall Cemetery, Belgium.
Lieutenant Arthur Seaforth Blackburn Lieutenant Arthur Seaforth Blackburn Unit: 10th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 23 July 1916, Pozieres, France A few hours after the action which resulted in Private Leak receiving a VC, the 23-year-old Blackburn led 50 men in a push to drive the men out of the same trench. The citation says: "By dogged determination he essentially captured their (250m) trench after personally leading four separate parties of bombers against it... Then after crawling with a sergeant to reconnoitre, he returned, attacked, and seized another 120 yards of trench.'' Blackburn's platoon Sergeant Robert Inwood was killed in the action. Inwood's brother, Corporal Reginald Inwood, was awarded the VC in 1917. Biography: Aside from his VC, Blackburn made a notable achievement. On April 25 1915, he and Private Phil Robing penetrated 1800m inland at Anzac Cove, the furthest point the Australians reached at Gallipoli. Blackburn was born in Adelaide on 25 November 1892, graduated in law and was called to the bar in 1913 but enlisted in the AIF in August 1914. He was evacuated a few months after the action in Pozieres and was discharged in 1917, returning to the law. He served in the South Australian Parliament as a National Party member from 1918 to 1921 and was a founding member of the RSL in that state. He joined the militia in 1925 and led the 2/3rd Machine-gun Battalion in the Syria campaign in 1941. The following year he was promoted to temporary brigadier and commanded Blackforce, which surrendered under Dutch orders. Blackburn spent the rest of the war in POW camps in Singapore, Japan, Korea and Manchuria. After the war he worked for the RSL. He died in 1960, survived by his wife and four children.
Lieutenant Albert Chalmers Borella Lieutenant Albert Chalmers Borella Unit: 26th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd Division Action: 17-18 July 1918, Villers-Bretonneux, France Borella, at less than a month shy of turning 37, became the oldest member of the AIF to receive a VC. The citation says: ``Whilst leading his platoon with the first wave, Lieutenant Borella marked an enemy machine-gun firing through our barrage. He ran out ahead of his men into the barrage, shot two German machine-gunners with his revolver, and captured the gun. He then led his party, now reduced to 10 men and two Lewis guns, against a very strongly held trench, using his revolver, and later a rifle, with great effect, causing many enemy casualties.... Two large dug outs were also bombed, and 30 prisoners taken. Subsequently the enemy twice counter attacked in strong force, on the second occasion outnumbering Lieutenant Borella's platoon by 10 to one, but his cool determination inspired his men to resist heroically, and the enemy were repulsed, with very heavy losses.'' Biography: Borella had to beg, borrow and almost steal to enlist in the AIF. Born in Borung, Victoria on 7 August 1881, he quit his job with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade Board, Melbourne, to become a farmer in the Northern Territory. When he wanted to enlist, the military was not taking volunteers from the NT. So Borella walked 140km and swam across flooded rivers, borrowed a horse at Powell Creek to ride to Katherine where he caught the mail coach, and then train, to Darwin. Having to pay off some debts when he got to Darwin, he then had to borrow the money to sail to Townsville, becoming among the first 15 volunteers for active service from the Northern Territory. He arrived at Gallipoli on 12 September 1915 but was evacuated in November with jaundice and did not rejoin his unit for three months. He was wounded at Pozieres, mentioned in dispatches in January 1917 and awarded the Military Medal for his actions in the attack on Malt Trench. He was commissioned second lieutenant in April 1917. Poor health had him shipped home five days before the war ended. After the war, he farmed near Hamilton, Victoria, and married in 1928. He was an unsuccessful Country Party candidate in the 1924 state election. He joined the army again in World War II, being promoted to captain before being discharged in 1945. He died at home in North Albury on 7 February 1968, survived by his wife and four sons.
Corporal Walter Ernest Brown Corporal Walter Ernest Brown Unit: 20th Battalion, 5th Brigade, 2nd Division Action: 6 July 1918, Villers-Bretonneux, France Alerted by a sergeant of nearby snipers, Brown, 33, lay in wait for half-an-hour trying to locate the source of the sniper fire. He then went closer to the enemy, eventually spotting the source of the enemy fire behind a mound of dirt about 60m away. The citation says: "Hearing that it had been decided to rush this post, Corporal Brown on his own initiative, crept out along the shallow trench and made a dash towards the post. An enemy machine-gun opened fire from another trench and forced him to take cover. Later he again dashed forth and reached his objective. With a Mills grenade in his hand he stood at the door of a dugout and called on the occupants to surrender. One of the enemy rushed out, a scuffle ensued, and Corporal Brown knocked him down with his fist. Loud cries of `Kamerad' were then heard, and from the dugout an officer and 11 other ranks appeared. This party Corporal Brown brought back as prisoners to our line, the enemy meanwhile from other positions bringing heavy machine-gun fire to bear on the party.'' Biography: Brown, who was a grocer before the war, proved to be a soldier of great courage who refused to surrender. Born on 3 July 1885 in Tasmania, he was working in Sydney when he enlisted in July 1915. He was posted to the Light Horse but claimed he had lost his false teeth in order to be sent to Cairo where he joined the infantry. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions at Passchendaele, where he rescued wounded men under fire and taking charge of his section when his sergeant was wounded. He was wounded twice in the month after the VC action, and was promoted to sergeant before being discharged from the AIF in February 1920. He worked as a brass-finisher in Sydney and then for the NSW Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission. He married in 1932 and signed up in 1940 for the next war by claiming his age was 39, instead of 54. His identity was discovered and was promoted to lance-sergeant, but he insisted on being demoted to gunner. Brown was part of the 8th Division sent to Malaya in 1941. When the Australians were ordered to surrender to the Japanese in Singapore, Brown's last recorded words were ``No surrender for me''. His body was never recovered. He was survived by his wife, son and daughter.
Temporary Corporal Alexander Henry Buckley Temporary Corporal Alexander Henry Buckley Unit: 54th Battalion, 14th Brigade, 5th Division Action: 1-2 September 1918, Peronne France In order to capture Peronne, the 54th Battalion had to cross fields that contained two German trenches. They breached the first but were held up at the second until the actions of two men, Corporal Arthur Charles Hall, 22, on the left and Buckley, 27, on the right, who rushed two different machine-gun posts. Buckley's citation says: ``With one man he rushed the post, shooting four of the occupants and taking twenty two prisoners. Later on, reaching a moat, it was found that another machine-gun nest commanded the only available footbridge. While this was being engaged from a flank Corporal Buckley endeavoured to cross the bridge and rush the post, but was killed in the attempt.'' Biography: Buckley was born on 22 July 1891 at Warren, NSW, and schooled at home before farming on his father's property near Coonamble. He enlisted in the AIF in February 1916 and joined the 54th Battalion at Flers, France, on 17 November. He fought at Bullecourt, Polygon Wood, Broodseinde and Villers-Bretonneux. He is buried at the Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, Ste Radegonde. Sergeant Maurice Vincent Buckley (served as Gerald Sexton) Unit: 13th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 4th Division Action: 18 September 1918, near Le Verguier, northwest of Mont St Quentin, France The 13th Battalion, ordered to attack the village of Le Veguier from the south, faced heavy opposition. Buckley rushed a field gun that held up part of the attack, killing the crew and then ran across open ground and under heavy machine-gun fire to attack a mortar. He then captured 30 Germans in a dug out. He continued to lead the attack, rushing at machine-guns that day and taking nearly 100 prisoners. Biography: Before he was awarded the highest honour, Maurice Buckley had been declared a deserter. He was born on 13 April 1891 at Hawthorn Victoria and enlisted on 18 December 1914. He was shipped to Egypt with the Light Horse but soon sent back to Australia suffering venereal disease. He was admitted to Langwarrin Camp in September 1915 and deserted from there four months later. He re-enlisted under the alias of Gerald Sexton (Gerald was his brother who was killed six months earlier serving with the AIF and Sexton was his mother's maiden name). After the announcement of the VC but before receiving the medal from King George V at Buckingham Palace, he confessed about his past. He served at the Somme, Bullecourt, Polygon Wood, Ypres, Passchendaele and Villers-Bretonneux. He was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his actions at Amiens on 8 August 1918. After the war, he worked building roads around Gippsland. He, along with 13 other VC recipients, took part in a controversial St Patrick's Day march in Melbourne. He was injured when he tried to jump his horse over railway gates at Boolarra, Victoria and died shortly afterwards on 27 January 1921. He received full military honours and had 10 VC recipients as his pallbearers. He was unmarried when he died and is buried at Brighton Cemetery, Melbourne.
Private Patrick Joseph Bugden Private Patrick Joseph Bugden Unit: 31st Battalion, 8th Brigade, 5th Division Action: 26-28 September 1917, Polygon Wood, near Ypres, Belgium. In the three days before his death, Bugden, 20, performed numerous acts of bravery. The citation says: "When, on two occasions, our advance was temporarily held up by strongly defended pillboxes. Private Bugden, in the face of devastating fire from machine-guns, gallantly led small parties to attack these strong points, and, successfully silencing the machine-guns with bombs, captured the garrison at the point of the bayonet. "On another occasion, when a corporal, who had become detached from his company, had been captured and was being taken to the rear by the enemy, Private Bugden, single handed, rushed to the rescue of his comrade, shot one enemy, and bayoneted the remaining two, thus releasing the corporal. "On five occasions, he rescued wounded men under intense shell and machine-gun fire, showing an utter contempt and disregard for danger. Always foremost in volunteering for any dangerous mission, it was during the execution of one of these missions that this gallant soldier was killed.'' Biography: While many Queenslanders may not recognise his name, they may have seen his Victoria Cross which is part of the Queensland Museum collection. The young barman and champion athlete, who trained at Enoggera and enlisted in Brisbane, was born on 17 March 1897 at South Gundurimba, New South Wales. He enlisted on 25 May 1916 and joined the 31st Battalion at Bapaume on 19 March 1917. He is buried at Hooge Crater Cemetery in Belgium. On June 14, 1980, his sister presented his Victoria Cross to the Queensland Museum.
Corporal Alexander Stewart Burton Corporal Alexander Stewart Burton Unit: 7th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 9 August 1915, Lone Pine trenches, Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey When Lieutenant Symons left Goldenstedt's Post to recapture Jacob's Trench, Captain Frederick Harold Tubb, 33, was put in charge of the post, and ordered to defend it with a group of men including two corporals from the 7th Battalion, Alexander Burton, 22, and William Dunstan, 20. This is the only occasion when three Australians, fighting side-by-side, all were awarded the Victoria Cross. Burton, who died in the action, was the first Australian soldier to receive the award posthumously. Australia's official war historian C.E.W. Bean describes the action: ``Tubb had at that position 10 men, eight of whom were on the parapet, while two corporals, Webb and Wright, were told to remain on the floor of the trench in order to catch and throw back the enemy's bombs, or else to smother their explosion by throwing over them Turkish overcoats which were lying about the trenches. "A few of the enemy, shouting `Allah!', had in the first rush scrambled into the Australian trench, but had been shot or bayoneted.'' "Tubb and his men now fired at them over the parapet, shooting all who came up Goldenstendt's Trench or who attempted to creep over the open ... "But one by one the men who were catching bombs were mutilated. Wright clutched at one which burst in his face and killed him. Webb, an orphan from Essendon, continued to catch them, but presently both his hands were blown away and, after walking out of the Pine, he died at Brown's Dip. "At one moment several bombs burst simultaneously in Tubb's recess. Four men in it were killed or wounded; a fifth was blown down and his rifle shattered. Tubb, bleeding from bomb wounds in arm and scalp, continued to fight, supported in the end only by a Ballarat recruit, Corporal Dunstan, and a personal friend of his own, Corporal Burton of Euroa. "At this stage there occurred at the barricade a violent explosion, which threw back the defenders and tumbled down the sandbags ... Dunstan and Burton were helping to rebuild the barrier when a bomb went off between them, killing Burton and temporarily blinding his comrade. Tubb obtained further men from the next post, Tubb's Corner; but the enemy's attack weakened ...'' Biography: Burton was born at Kyneton, Victoria on 20 January 1893. After going to school locally, he worked at the family store at Euroa, joined the Euroa Presbyterian Church choir and the town band. He enlisted on 18 August, 1914 and with an army number of 348, was among the first to sign up. One account says he was injured in the April 25 landing at Gallipoli, another says he was ill with a throat infection and had to watch the Gallipoli landing from a hospital ship. He rejoined his unit on 18 May, volunteered to take part in tunnel digging in the face of the enemy in July and was promoted to corporal shortly before his death. His body was never recovered. For many years, his VC was kept in a drawer in a desk at the family store but is now on display at the Australian War Memorial.
Private George Cartwright Private George Cartwright Unit: 33rd Battalion, 9th Brigade, 3rd Division Action: 31 August 1918, Rood Wood, southwest of Bouchavesnes, near Peronne, France Eight Australians were awarded Victoria Crosses in the capture of Mont St Quentin and Peronne. The first went to 23-year-old Cartwright. The citation says: "When two companies were held up by machine-gun fire, from the southwestern edge of the wood, without hesitation, Private Cartwright moved against the gun in a most deliberate manner under intense fire. He shot three of the team, and, having bombed the post, captured the gun and nine enemy. This gallant deed had a most inspiring effect on the whole line, which immediately rushed forward. Throughout the operation Private Cartwright displayed wonderful dash, grim determination, and courage of the highest order.'' Biography: Cartwright was born in London on 9 December 1894 but migrated to Australia as a young man and was living near Inverell when he enlisted in December 1915. He arrived in France in November 1916. He was wounded at Messines in June 1917, gassed in April 1918 and was shipped to Britain in September 1918 when he was wounded again. He returned to Australia the following year and was discharged from the AIF, although he continued to serve with the Citizen Military Force. During World War II, he was promoted to captain and was stationed at various training centres. He lived in Epping, NSW, and married in 1921. The couple had two children before they divorced and Cartwright remarried in 1948. The machine-gun he captured at Peronne is on display at the Australian War Memorial. He died 2 February 1978 and is commemorated by a plaque in the NSW Garden of Remembrance at Rookwood.
Sergeant Claud Charles Castleton Sergeant Claud Charles Castleton Unit: 5th Machine-gun Company, 5th Brigade, 2nd Division Action: 28 July 1916, Pozieres, France The 2nd Division attacked Pozieres heights at 12.15am, but faced heavy opposition. The Diggers, including Castleton, 23, were pinned down by machine-gun fire. They withdrew before dawn but many wounded were left in no-man's land. The citation says: ``Sergeant Castleton went out twice in face of this intense fire and each time brought in a wounded man on his back. He went out a third time and was bringing in another wounded man when he was himself hit in the back and killed instantly. He set a splendid example of courage and self-sacrifice.'' Biography: Castleton was a school teacher who loved nature and geography. Born in Suffolk, England on 12 April 1893, he was a pupil teacher in a local council school before migrating to Australia aged 19. He travelled around the country and worked in Port Moresby for a while on coastal defences and at a wireless station. He enlisted in Sydney in the AIF on 10 March 1915 and served at Gallipoli from 16 August until he was evacuated a month later with dysentery. He returned to service before the Diggers evacuated Gallipoli. He transferred to the 5th Machine-gun Company and arrived in France about four months before he was killed. Castleton, who was unmarried, is buried at the Pozieres British Cemetery.
Captain Percy Herbert Cherry Captain Percy Herbert Cherry Unit: 26th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd Division Action: 26 March 1917, Lagnicourt, France Cherry, 21, was ordered to take his company and capture the village of Lagnicourt, held by about 250 Germans. The citation says: "After all the officers of his company had become casualties, he carried on with care and determination in the face of fierce opposition and cleared the village of the enemy. He sent frequent reports of progress made and when held up by an enemy strong point, he organised machine-gun and bomb parties and captured the position. "His leadership, coolness, and bravery set a wonderful example to his men. Having cleared the village, he took charge of the situation and beat off the most resolute and heavy counter-attacks made by the enemy. Wounded about 6.30am, he refused to leave his post and there remained, encouraging all to hold out at all costs, until, about 4.30pm, this very gallant officer was killed by an enemy shell.'' Biography: Although born in Drysdale, Victoria on 4 June 1895, Cherry moved to Tasmania aged seven and fitted in like a local. His family ran an apple orchard at Cradoc, and young Cherry soon became an expert apple packer, winning the apple case-making championship at the Launceston fruit show. But there was more than the red fruit of the Apple Isle in his life -- Cherry also sang in the church choir, played cornet in a local band and served in the cadet corps. He enlisted in the AIF in March 1915, having been commissioned early in the 93rd Infantry Regiment, and served with the 26th Battalion in Gallipoli, where he was wounded shortly before the Diggers were evacuated. Transferred to the 7th Machine-gun Company, Cherry narrowly missed being killed by a German officer who was mortally wounded in an exchange between the two men, taking a packet of letters from the dying enemy soldier which he promised to post. He is buried in the Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France, having never married.
Private Thomas Cooke Private Thomas Cooke Unit: 8th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 24-25 July 1916, Pozieres, France The 1st Australian Division, with the support of the 8th, took and held Pozieres despite counter-attacks and fierce bombing. It was during this action, that Cooke, 35, was ordered to take his Lewis gun and defend a dangerous part of the line. The citation says: "Here he did fine work, but came under very heavy fire, with the result that he was the only man left. He still stuck to his post and continued to fire his gun. When assistance was sent he was found dead beside his gun. He set a splendid example of determination and devotion to duty.'' Biography: There are some who claim Cooke's VC as one belonging to New Zealand although he was serving with the Australian army at the time. He was born on 5 July 1881 in Kaikoura, New Zealand and became a carpenter after leaving school. He migrated with his wife and three children to Australia and moved to Richmond, Victoria, where he worked as a builder until he enlisted in February 1915. He joined the 8th Battalion at the Suez Canal Zone on 24 February and was shipped to France a month later. His name is commemorated on the memorial at Villers-Bretonneux. He was survived by his wife and three children.
Private William Matthew Currey Private William Matthew Currey Unit: 53rd Battalion, 14th Brigade, 5th Division Action: 1 September 1918, near Peronne, France The 22-year-old Currey was in a battalion that was suffering heavy losses, pinned down by fire from a 77mm field gun. The citation says: ``Private Currey, without hesitation, rushed forward under intense machine-gun fire and succeeded in capturing the gun single handed after killing the entire crew. Later, when the advance of the left flank was checked by an enemy strong point, Private Currey crept around the flank and engaged the post with a Lewis gun.'' At 3am the next day, he volunteered to stand up in no-man's landing and call out to a company that had become isolated, and was gassed in doing so. Biography: Currey almost never made it to war. He twice attempted to enlist without his parent's permission, giving a false age, and was rejected. When he did get his parent's permission, the army rejected him on medical grounds and he had to undergo surgery for varicoceles -- swollen veins in the testicles -- before he was admitted to the service on 9 October, 1916. His unit sailed out of Sydney in November 1916. After the war, he worked as a NSW railways storeman and became active in the Labor Party, successfully standing for the seat of Kogarah in 1941. He was twice re-elected, and lobbied in parliament on behalf of ex-servicemen. He served with the militia in the early 1930s and served at a German internment camp in World War II. He collapsed in Parliament House on 27 April 1948 and died three days later aged 52 of coronary vascular disease. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. His ashes are interred at Woronora Cemetery and he is commemorated with a plaque at the Garden of Remembrance, Rookwood Cemetery.
Private Henry "Harry'' Dalziel Private Henry "Harry'' Dalziel Unit: 15th Battalion, 4th Brigade, 4th Division Action: 4 July 1918, Hamel Wood, France Dalziel, a 25-year-old Queenslander, was presented with the second of two VCs awarded at the battle of Hamel. The citation says: ``His company met with determined resistance from a strong point which was strongly garrisoned, manned by numerous machine-guns, and undamaged by our artillery fire, was also protected by strong wire entanglements. A heavy concentration of machine-gun fire caused many casualties, and held up our advance. "His Lewis gun having come into action and silenced enemy guns in one direction, an enemy gun opened fire from another direction. Private Dalziel dashed at it, and with his revolver killed and captured the entire crew and gun, and allowed our advance to continue. "He was severely wounded in the hand, but carried on and took part in the capture of the final objective. He twice went over open ground under heavy enemy artillery and machine-gun fire to secure ammunition, though suffering from considerable loss of blood. He filled magazines and served his gun until severely wounded through the head.'' Biography: Before the war, Dalziel was a fireman with Queensland Railways on the Cairns-Atherton route. After the war, he travelled the Queensland coast by train, receiving a hero's welcome at every station from Townsville to Atherton. Born in Irvinebank on 18 February 1893, Dalziel joined the AIF in January 1915 and shipped out from Brisbane about a week before the Anzacs landed at Gallipoli. He joined the 15th Battalion at Gallipoli in July, and served in France and Belgium, being wounded at Polygon Wood in October 1917. He resumed duty just a month before his VC action, in which his skull was smashed by a sniper's bullet and his brain exposed in an injury so severe doctors expected him not to last an hour. After treatment in Britain, he was shipped home to Australia in January 1919, having received 32 bullet wounds during the war. He married in 1920 and took up a soldier settlement block, but left his wife to run the farm while he worked in a Sydney factory and then mined for gold at Bathurst. He became a published songwriter and artist. He died on July 24, 1965 at Repatriation General Hospital, Greenslopes, and was cremated with military honours.
Temporary Lieutenant William Thomas Dartnell Temporary Lieutenant William Thomas Dartnell Unit: 25th (Service) Battalion (Frontiersmen), the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) Action: 3 September 1915, near Maktau, British East Africa (now Kenya) Dartnell, 30, was part of the British, Indian and African forces stationed in East Africa and was wounded in the leg when his mounted infantry patrol was ambushed. The citation says: ``It was found impossible to get the more severely wounded away. Lieutenant Dartnell, who was himself being carried away wounded in the leg, seeing the situation, and knowing that the enemy's black troops murdered the wounded, insisted on being left behind in the hope of being able to save the lives of the other wounded men. He gave his own life in the gallant attempt to save others.'' Biography: Dartnell was only 15 when he first experienced the perils of war. He was born in Collingwood, Melbourne, on 6 April 1885 and enlisted in the Victorian Mounted Rifles where he served in the Boer War for a year. He returned to Melbourne and married, and worked as an actor. He returned to South Africa about 1912 and was in East London, working for the Standard Printing Company, in 1914 when the war began. He convened a meeting of Australians living in East London when the war broke out, and as chair of the meeting cabled the British War Office a list of names, with his at the top, of Australians offering their services. He went to England and joined the Royal Fusiliers using his professional name Wilbur Taylor Dartnell and was soon sent back to Africa. On June 22, Dartnell led a group of men who raided the German fort at Bukoba and was mentioned in dispatches. He is buried in Kenya, and was survived by his wife and daughter.
Corporal Phillip Davey Corporal Phillip Davey Unit: 10th Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 28 June 1918, Merris, France In a daylight attack on Merris, Davey's platoon commander was killed and the men were forced to take cover in a ditch directly in front of a German machine-gun. The citation says: ``Alone Corporal Davey (aged 23) moved forward in the face of a fierce point blank fire, and attacked the gun with hand grenades, putting half the crew out of action. Having used all available grenades, he returned to the original jumping off trench, secured a further supply and again attacked the gun, the crew of which had in the meantime been reinforced. "He killed the crew, eight in all, and captured the gun. This very gallant non-commissioned officer then mounted the gun in the new post and used it in repelling a determined counter attack, during which he was severely wounded. By his determination, Corporal Davey saved the platoon from annihilation, and made it possible to consolidate and hold a position of vital importance to the success of the whole operation.'' Biography: Three days before Australian troops landed at Gallipoli, young private Davey was sentenced to 14 days detention for failing to follow an order. Born in Unley, South Australia, on 10 October 1896, he was a horse driver who enlisted in the AIF in December 1914. He contracted enteric fever on Gallipoli and was sent home but rejoined the 10th Battalion in France in September 1916. He was accidentally wounded when a bomb went off in his hand in March 1917, but was later cleared by a military inquiry, and was gassed on 3 October. Six months before the VC action, he was awarded a Military Medal for rescuing a badly wounded mate from no-man's land. His two brothers were also awarded Military Medals in the war. The wounds he received at Merris were severe enough for him to be invalided to England and sent home where he was discharged. He worked for the telegraph branch of the South Australian Railways and married in 1928, having one daughter. Probably linked to his 1917 gassing, he suffered emphysema and bronchitis for several years and died in hospital on 21 December 1953. He was buried with full military honours at the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide. 'Without hesitation, he at once sprang out, threw a bomb which landed beside the post, and rushed the position, bayoneting one of the crew and capturing the gun'
Corporal William Dunstan Corporal William Dunstan Unit: 7th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division Action: 9 August 1915, Lone Pine trenches, Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey When Lieutenant Symons left Goldenstedt's Post to recapture Jacob's Trench, Captain Frederick Harold Tubb, 33, was put in charge of the post, and ordered to defend it with a group of men including two corporals from the 7th Battalion, Alexander Burton, 22, and William Dunstan, 20. This is the only occasion when three Australians, fighting side-by-side, all were awarded the Victoria Cross. Burton, who died in the action, was the first Australian soldier to receive the award posthumously. Australia's official war historian C.E.W. Bean describes the action: ``Tubb had at that position 10 men, eight of whom were on the parapet, while two corporals, Webb and Wright, were told to remain on the floor of the trench in order to catch and throw back the enemy's bombs, or else to smother their explosion by throwing over them Turkish overcoats which were lying about the trenches. ``A few of the enemy, shouting `Allah!', had in the first rush scrambled into the Australian trench, but had been shot or bayoneted.'' ``Tubb and his men now fired at them over the parapet, shooting all who came up Goldenstendt's Trench or who attempted to creep over the open ... ``But one by one the men who were catching bombs were mutilated. Wright clutched at one which burst in his face and killed him. Webb, an orphan from Essendon, continued to catch them, but presently both his hands were blown away and, after walking out of the Pine, he died at Brown's Dip. ``At one moment several bombs burst simultaneously in Tubb's recess. Four men in it were killed or wounded; a fifth was blown down and his rifle shattered. Tubb, bleeding from bomb wounds in arm and scalp, continued to fight, supported in the end only by a Ballarat recruit, Corporal Dunstan, and a personal friend of his own, Corporal Burton of Euroa. ``At this stage there occurred at the barricade a violent explosion, which threw back the defenders and tumbled down the sandbags ... Dunstan and Burton were helping to rebuild the barrier when a bomb went off between them, killing Burton and temporarily blinding his comrade. Tubb obtained further men from the next post, Tubb's Corner; but the enemy's attack weakened ...'' Biography: The man who was awarded the highest honour for his valour and created something of a media dynasty, worked as a clerk in a drapery store before the war. Dunstan was born at Ballarat, Victoria on 8 March, 1895, joined the cadets and then transferred to the part-time Citizen Military Forces. He enlisted in the AIF in June 1915 and was promoted to corporal three days before the attack. He recovered the sight he lost temporarily in the VC action but was shipped home medically unfit and was demobilised in 1916, although he continued to serve in the militia. He married in 1918 and fathered two sons. He joined the Herald and Weekly Times as an accountant and by his retirement in 1953, he was general manager. He was joint manager of the Australian Newsprint Pool during World War II and the chairman of the Australian Newspapers Proprietors' Association. His two sons, William and Keith both served in World War II, while Keith became a well-known newspaper journalist.
Sergeant John James Dwyer Sergeant John James Dwyer Unit: 4th Machine-gun Company, 4th Brigade, 4th Division Action: 26 September 1917, Zonnebeke, Belgium Dwyer, 27, who was in charge of a Vickers machine-gun, went forward with the first wave of the 4th Division in the battle of Polygon Wood. The citation says: ``(He) rushed his gun forward in advance of the captured position in order to obtain a commanding spot. Whilst advancing, he noticed an enemy machine-gun firing on the troops on our right flank, and causing casualties. ``Unhesitatingly, he rushed his gun forward to within (27m) of the enemy gun, and fired point blank at it, putting it out of action, and killing the gun crew. He then seized the gun and, totally ignoring the snipers from the rear of the enemy position carried it back across the shell swept ground to our front line, and established both it and his Vickers gun on the right flank of our brigade. ``Sergeant Dwyer commanded these guns with great coolness, and, when the enemy counter- attacked our positions, he rendered great assistance in repulsing them. On the following day, when the position was heavily shelled, this non-commissioned officer took up successive positions. ``On one occasion, his Vickers gun was blown up by shell fire, but he conducted his gun team back to headquarters through the enemy barrage, secured one of the reserve guns, and rushed it back to our position in the shortest possible time.'' Biography: Dwyer is among the handful of Australian VC recipients who went on to represent his state at the highest political level. Born in Port Cygnet, Tasmania, on 9 March 1890, he was a labourer in Queenstown before he enlisted on 4 February 1915. He joined the 5th Battalion at Gallipoli but transferred to the 4th Machine-gun Company when he went to France. He was promoted several times, wounded at the battle of Messines and had reached the rank of lieutenant by May 1918. After the war he married, had six children and got involved in local politics in Bruny before moving to New Norfolk where he set up his own sawmill. He was elected to the Tasmanian Parliament as a member of the ALP for the seat of Franklin in 1931, and retained the seat until he died in 1962, holding at times the position of speaker, agriculture portfolio and deputy premier. He died on 17 January 1962.
Lieutenant Alfred Edward Gaby Lieutenant Alfred Edward Gaby Unit: 28th Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd Division Action: 8th August 1918, East of Villers-Bretonneux, France Gaby, 26, was taking part in an assault to the east of Villers-Bretonneux when the Australians encountered strong resistance protecting a gap in the wire. The citation says: ``Lieutenant Gaby found another gap in the wire, and, single handed, approached the strong point while machine-guns and rifles were still being fired from it. "Running along the parapet, still alone, and at point blank range, he emptied his revolver into the garrison, drove the crews from their guns, and compelled the surrender of 50 of the enemy with four machine-guns. He then quickly reorganised his men, and led them on to his final objective, which he captured and consolidated.'' He was killed by sniper fire three days later as he walked along the Australian line encouraging his troops in an attack against heavy German forces. Biography: Gaby was born into a family of Tasmanian farmers with a strong belief in serving their country in battle. Born on 25 January 1892 at Springfield, Tasmania, he served for three years in the militia while working on his father's farm, following the lead of at least three of his six brothers who served in the Boer War. He was rejected twice before finally being accepted into the AIF in January 1916. Because of his military service, he was rapidly promoted and had reached the rank of Lieutenant by September 1917. He was gassed a month later and rejoined his battalion the following May. He is buried in Heath Cemetery, Harbonnieres.
Lance-Corporal Bernard Sidney Gordon Lance-Corporal Bernard Sidney Gordon Unit: 41st Battalion, 11th Brigade, 3rd Division Action: 27 August 1918, Fargny Wood, east of Bray, France The men of the 41st Battalion, including the 27-year-old Gordon, launched a dawn attack and then spent the day wedged between the River Somme and the German forces. The citation says: ``Single handed, he attacked an enemy machine-gun which was enfilading the company on his right, killed the man on the gun, and capturing the post, which contained one officer and 10 men. He then cleared up a trench, capturing 29 prisoners and two machine-guns. In clearing up further trenches he captured 22 prisoners, including one officer, and three machine-guns. Practically unaided, he captured, in the course of these operations, two officers and 61 other ranks, together with six machine-guns, and displayed throughout a wonderful example of fearless initiative.'' Biography: Gordon's military record shows he was a great soldier although never far from trouble. He was born on 16 August 1891 in Launceston, Tasmania and worked as a cooper's machinist before enlisting in the AIF in September 1915. He was wounded in Belgium in October 1917. A few weeks before his VC action he single-handedly attacked a machine-gun crew and stalked and killed a sniper. His actions on that day earned him a Military Medal. Four days after the VC action, he was wounded at Mont St Quentin. But his military record reveals another side to his character. In 1916, he managed to be absent without leave for two days while still on the ship from Australia to England. Before he was sent to France, he spent 47 days in hospital as a result of his actions while on leave. During three months of 1917, he was four times found guilty of being absent without leave and fined about two months pay. He was also found guilty of urinating on the parade ground, a feat which cost him a further three days pay. After the war, he worked as a grocer at Clayfield in Brisbane before moving to a dairy farm near Beaudesert. He had married in Launceston in 1915 while on leave and remarried in Brisbane in 1938 after his first wife died. He served with the Queensland 31st Battalion in World War II. He died in Torquay, Queensland, on 19 October 1963.
