Jørgen Jensen (soldier)

He bluffed a defended post into surrender with his grenades.

Jørgen Christian Jensen was born at Løgstør, Denmark, on 15 January 1891. He went to sea as a young man and arrived in Australia in 1909. He worked around the Murray River and South Australian ports before becoming an Australian citizen in 1914. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Keswick in March 1915.

Jensen served with the 10th Battalion at Gallipoli and reached France in March 1916. Wounded at Mouquet Farm in August, he recovered in Britain. He transferred to the 50th Battalion on 28 January 1917.

At Noreuil on 2 April 1917 he and a few comrades approached a defended German position. After the machine gun had been dealt with, Jensen confronted the remaining defenders with grenades and demanded their surrender. Although outnumbered, he persuaded approximately forty-five men that continued resistance was hopeless. He then used one prisoner to communicate with another enemy party and secured further surrenders.

When Australian troops fired towards the prisoners, Jensen climbed into view and waved his helmet to stop the firing. He then escorted the captured men back to the British line. The Victoria Cross recognized the initiative and determination with which he turned a dangerous local encounter into a substantial capture. King George V presented the decoration at Buckingham Palace in July 1917.

Jensen subsequently served as a temporary sergeant. A serious head wound near Villers-Bretonneux in May 1918 ended his front-line service. He returned to Australia later that year and was medically discharged in December. He tried hotelkeeping at Truro and later worked as a marine-store dealer in Adelaide. In 1921 he married Katy Herman, née Arthur. His health remained poor, and he died in Adelaide Hospital on 31 May 1922. He received a military funeral and was buried in West Terrace Cemetery.

Official Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery and initiative when, with five comrades, he attacked a barricade behind which were about 45 of the enemy and a machine gun. One of his party shot the gunner, and Pte. Jensen, single-handed, rushed the post and threw in a bomb. He had still a bomb in one hand, but taking another from his pocket with the other hand he drew the pin with his teeth, and by threatening the enemy with two bombs and by telling them that they were surrounded, he induced them to surrender. Pte. Jensen then sent one of his prisoners to order a neighbouring enemy party to surrender, which they did. This latter party were then fired on in ignorance of their surrender by another party of our troops; whereupon Pte. Jensen, utterly regardless of personal danger, stood on the barricade, waved his helmet, caused the firing to cease, and sent his prisoners back to our lines. Pte. Jensen’s conduct throughout was marked by extraordinary bravery and determination.

Second Supplement to The London Gazette of 8 June 1917. 8 June 1917, Numb. 30122, p. 5705