So few Victoria Crosses have ever been
given out, by comparison with the numbers that went off to
fight in all conflicts since the middle of the 1800's. At
least two that I know of went to local boys. These caches
endeavour to recognise their valour. Another example where
locals seem not to even know who they are which is a
shame.
Robert Mactier VC
Private Robert Mactier posthumously received
the Victoria Cross (VC)- the highest honour for duty- for his
actions on 1 September 1918. Born on 17 May 1890 in Tatura,
Victoria, he enlisted in the AIF in March 1917, and served with the
23rd Battalion, 6th Brigade, 2nd Division.
Private Robert Mactier VC
The operation for which his service was
recognised took place during the Mont St Quentin campaign, on the
night of 31 August. Mactier's brigade was meant to be in a certain
position by the next morning in order to launch an attack on the
village overlooking Pronne. However, there were some German
strongholds that had to be passed if his brigade was to gain its
position. The situation was at a stalemate until Private Mactier,
who had been sent ahead as a runner to investigate, took the matter
into his own hands by charging a German post, throwing a bomb and
then climbing over the wire, killing the eight men
there.
Continuing on a further few metres to the
next post, another garrison surrendered to him. As these Germans
were sent back to Australian lines, Mactier continued his campaign,
capturing a machine-gun and killing its crew, before finally being
shot by a nearby machine-gun. It is stated that his performance
greatly assisted Australian troops, giving them an opportunity to
break through the German lines and begin the Mont St Quentin
operation.
He is buried in Hem-Monacu cemetery, and his
VC is displayed in the Australian War Memorial's Hall of
Valour.
The Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest award for
acts of bravery in wartime. It was instituted in 1856 by Queen
Victoria and made retrospective to 1854 to cover the period of the
Crimean War. It is possible for any serviceman to obtain this
award.
The Victoria Cross is designed in the form of
the Maltese Cross: in the centre of the medal is a lion guardant
standing upon the Royal Crown. The words "For valour" are inscribed
below. The Victoria Cross is suspended from a bar by a red ribbon.
On the reverse of the cross the date of the act of bravery is
inscribed, along with the name, rank, and unit of the
recipient.
The Australian War Memorial displays 60
Victoria Crosses, the largest publicly held collection in the
world. The Victoria Crosses are displayed together in the
Memorial's Hall of Valour. These VC's have been donated or loaned
to the Memorial by individuals, families, or unit associations to
be displayed for the nation.
Standing at GZ you will see a plaque
detailing in brief that which was described above. It was placed on
an aniversary of the date on which the honour was
awarded.
That aniversary = AB
The number of lines of
text on the top plaque = CD
The number of lines
of text on the bottom plaque = E
X = AB / 20
Y = CD - 8
Z = E - 3
The micro will be found nearby at:
S36° 26.XDZ'
E145° 13.EDY'
Be careful not to be observed or it won't
last long. Please replace as found.
Information for this cache has been
sourced from the Australian War Memorial site. It is
presented here in it's unedited form.