John Leak

John Leak VC (1892 - October 20, 1972) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Born in Portsmouth, England, he was approximately twenty four years old, and a private in the 9th Battalion (Queensland), Australian Imperial Force during World War I when, on July 23, 1916, at the battle of Pozières, France, Private Leak's party captured an enemy strong-point. Private Leak ran forward under heavy fire, threw bombs into the enemy's bombing post, then jumped into the post and killed three of the bombers. Later, when the enemy in overwhelming numbers was driving his party back, Private Leak was always the last to withdraw at each stage and kept on throwing bombs. His actions had such an effect that when reinforcements arrived, the whole trench was recaptured. For this he earned the Victoria Cross.

In 1918 he was wounded, and discharged the next year.

References

*"Monuments to Courage" (David Harvey, 1999)
*"The Register of the Victoria Cross" (This England, 1997)
*"VCs of the First World War - The Somme" (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)

External links

* [http://www.awm.gov.au/units/people_576.asp Australian Military Units page on John Leak]
* [http://www.ozemail.com.au/~vcweb/winners/leak.htm LEAK J.]
* [http://www.iol.net.au/~conway/vicross/leak.html Private J Leak] "(photo, brief details)"