John Gildroy Grant

Front row, Sg. J.D. Hinton, Lt. K. Elliott, Cpt. C.H. Upham, Sg. A.C. Hulme, Cpt. S. Frickleton, Lt. J.G. Grant.]

John Gildroy Grant VC (26 August 1889 - 25 November 1970) was a New Zealander 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.

He was 29 years old, and a sergeant in the 1st Battalion, Wellington Infantry Regiment, New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 1 September 1918 near Bancourt, France, the leading waves of the battalion on reaching a crest of high ground, found that a line of enemy machine-gun posts offered a serious obstacle to further advance. The company, however, advanced against these posts under point-blank fire, and when about convert|20|yd away Sergeant Grant, closely followed by a comrade, rushed ahead of his platoon, entering the centre post and demoralising the garrison so that the platoon were able to mop up the positions. In the same manner he rushed the post on the left and the remaining posts were quickly occupied and cleared by his company.

He later achieved the rank of lieutenant. Grave/memorial at Golders Cemetery, Waikumete, New Zealand. Block M. Section 9. Plot 95. Headstone.

His Victoria Cross was displayed at the QEII Army Memorial Museum, Waiouru, New Zealand. On Sunday 2 December2007 it was one of nine Victoria Crosses that were among a hundred medals stolen from the museum. [cite web|author=Derek Cheng|title=Army medal theft 'insult' to our nation's heritage |publisher=nzherald|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10479634|date=December 2007|accessdate=2007-12-02] On 16 February 2008 New Zealand Police announced all the medals had been recovered as a result of a NZ$300,000 reward offered by Michael Ashcroft and Tom Sturgess. [ [http://police.govt.nz/news/release/3701.html Stolen War Medals Recovered] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.ozemail.com.au/~vcweb/winners/nz_winners/grant.htm Grant J.G.]
* [http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/7572/nzvcross.txt New Zealand Troops who have won the Victoria Cross] "(brief biography details)"