Patrick Bugden

Rescued wounded men and stormed enemy posts at Polygon Wood.

Patrick Joseph Bugden was born at South Gundurimba, New South Wales, on 17 March 1897. Educated locally and at Tatham, he worked as a barman in his stepfather’s hotel at Alstonville. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Brisbane in May 1916 and joined the 31st Battalion in France in March 1917.

At Polygon Wood in Belgium on 26–28 September 1917, Private Bugden repeatedly led small parties against German strongpoints holding up the advance. He captured machine guns and prisoners, rescued a corporal from enemy soldiers and repeatedly brought wounded men back through heavy fire. He was killed on 28 September.

His Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously. He was buried at Hooge Crater Cemetery near Ypres, and his family received the decoration from Australia’s Governor-General in February 1918. His medals later entered the Queensland Museum collection.

Victoria Cross citation: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty when on two occasions our advance was temporaily held up by strongly-defended “pill-boxes.” Pte. 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, Pte. Bugden, single-handed, rushed to the rescue of his comrade, shot one enemy and bayonetted 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.

Fourth Supplement to The London Gazette of 23 November 1917. 26 November 1917, Numb. 30400, pp. 12329-30