october australian recipient victoria_cross highest decoration gallantry face enemy awarded members british commonwealth armed forces sergeant awarded victoria_cross actions offensive october platoon came heavy machine gun fire german rushed open ground armed solely revolver shot gunners captured garrison organised bombing party led group seizure second machine gun post born tasmania gained employment engine driver march enlisted service world war posted completed training tasmania united_kingdom promoted lance corporal transferring western november rapidly promoted corporal sergeant took killed action october days victoria_cross exploit early life born tasmania youngest children farmer wife mary née green sisters died infancy prior birth lewis aged seven mother succumbed following wife death john relocated remaining family new farming property near lewis gained employment engine driver achieved reputation powerful athlete particularly november married couple daughter following year world war march enlisted service world war allotted private initially posted training military camp unit period months advanced lance corporal primary training embarked united_kingdom july aboard arriving seven weeks later battalion dispatched complete additional period training preparation deployment western proceeded france western battalion november arriving day unit ultimately posted raised corporal december days promotion moved occupying set trenches south subsequent engagements gained reputation natural soldier consequently led promotion sergeant january undertook small scale operations raids period june fought followed period reserve lines battalion shipped belgium preparation service offensive victoria_cross phase offensive 10th detailed execute attack ridge brigade allocated primary objectives seize assault battalion final target located ridge advance commenced time october cover artillery barrage battalions able seize objectives fighting intensified stage set advance final objective progress hampered increasingly heavy machine gun rifle fire barbed wire sectors impassable swamp company heading advance unit able progress point approximately metres crest confronted thick line barbed wire simultaneously subject fire machine guns trenches heavily defended men company struggled metres battalion objective severe fire german machine guns pinned platoon suffering heavy casualties particular machine gun metres position set atop concrete firing directly men armed solely revolver post fire swept ground shooting gunners captured remaining soldiers garrison prisoners seized control returning unit reorganised men led bombing party capture second machine gun post actions advance foremost remainder action october seized objective held complete control ridge having captured germans prisoners process result actions awarded victoria_cross australians decorated day saw announcement award october days victoria_cross action returned attempt exploit success previous week battlefield rain turning ground additionally dominated german appointed acting company sergeant major company morning led unit attack men company advanced forward machine gun began firing second opened flank men ran cover german fire inflicted casualties rush guns apparent effort silence ran bullet struck head killing instantly later buried members killed wounded fellow australian victoria_cross recipient severely wounded day receiving bullet wound arm legacy announcement accompanying citation victoria_cross supplement london gazette november reading 26th november majesty king pleased approve award victoria_cross officer non commissioned officers men late imp force conspicuous bravery advance final objective led platoon great dash bravery strongly opposed heavy shell fire platoon suffering severely advance company stopped machine gun fire box post single handed rushed post armed revolver shot crew captured rest enabled advance proceed reorganised remnants platoon foremost remainder advance consolidation position splendid work non commissioned officer bravery conspicuous contributed largely success company operations subsequently killed action wife presented late husband victoria_cross sir ceremony october additionally later gifted husband captured german officer enclosed letter written officer prior victoria_cross action noted leadership qualities attained famous fighting record addition decoration recommended commission result actions officer battalion declaring lived commission assured original company commander major noted sterling qualities leader stated ability carrying certain important tasks early year marked opinion opinion capable non commissioned officer battalion commemorated war located ross tasmania given tasmania opened anniversary celebrations town march governor tasmania sir unveiled memorial plaque widow daughter attended ceremony victoria_cross medals held collections art gallery tasmania
Lewis McGee