John Gildroy Grant

He rushed the machine-gun posts, and broke their resistance.

John Gilroy Grant was born at Hawera, New Zealand, in 1889. He attended the local district high school and worked as a builder and contractor before enlisting in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in June 1915. He sailed with the Seventh Reinforcements, joined the Wellington Infantry Regiment in Egypt and went to France in April 1916. Promotion followed, and by late 1917 he was a sergeant.

On 1 September 1918, near Bancourt, his battalion advanced against a line defended by several machine-gun posts. Grant, commanding a platoon, went forward with his men under fire. Closely followed by a comrade, he rushed the central post ahead of the platoon and broke its resistance. He then attacked the post on the left and helped clear the remaining positions, allowing the advance to continue. His initiative and leadership earned the Victoria Cross.

Grant subsequently attended officer training at Cambridge and was commissioned in February 1919. King George V presented his VC that month. He returned to New Zealand in October and was discharged in January 1920, continuing in the Territorial Force until retiring as a lieutenant in 1929.

He returned to carpentry and married Elizabeth Merriman in 1924; they had a son and a daughter. Civilian life was difficult during the Depression, and at one stage he worked in a relief camp. He later lived in Auckland, where he died at the Roskill Masonic Village on 25 November 1970. He was buried in the soldiers' section of Waikumete Cemetery.

Official Victoria Cross citation

For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty near Bancourt on the 1st September, 1918, when Serjeant in command of a platoon forming part of the leading waves of the battalion attacking the high ground to the east of Bancourt. On reaching the crest, it was found that a line of five enemy machine-gun posts offered a serious obstacle to further advance. Under point blank fire, however, the company advanced against these posts. When about twenty yards from the posts, Sjt. Grant, closely followed by a comrade, rushed forward ahead of his platoon, and with great dash and bravery entered the centre post, demoralising the garrison and enabling the men of his platoon to mop up the position. In the same manner he then rushed the post on the left and the remaining posts were quickly occupied and cleared by his company. Throughout the whole operation on this and the two previous days Sjt. Grant displayed coolness, determination, and valour

The London Gazette, issue 31034, 27 November 1918, page 14040.