John Woods Whittle

Charged a machine gun crew alone and carried their gun back.

Born on Huon Island, Tasmania, on 3 August 1882, he served in the Boer War and as a Royal Navy stoker before joining the AIF in 1915. As a sergeant with the 12th Battalion, he earned the DCM at Le Barque in 1917. At Boursies he rallied his platoon and recaptured a trench. At Lagnicourt on 15 April, he crossed exposed ground alone, killed an enemy machine gun crew with grenades and brought back its gun. George V presented his VC in July 1917. He returned to Australia in 1918 and died in Sydney on 2 March 1946.

Victoria Cross citation: For conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on two occasions. When in command of a platoon, the enemy, under cover of an intense artillery barrage, attacked the small trench he was holding. Owing to weight of numbers the enemy succeeded in entering the trench, and it was owing to Sergeant Whittle personally collecting all available men and charging the enemy that the position was regained. On a second occasion, when the enemy broke through the left of our line, Sergeant Whittle’s own splendid example was the means of keeping the men well in hand. His platoon were suffering heavy casualties and the enemy endeavoured to bring up a machine gun to enfilade the position. Grasping the situation, he rushed alone across the fire-swept ground and attacked the hostile gun-crew with bombs before the gun could be got into action. He succeeded in killing the whole crew and in bringing back the machine gun to our position.