Samuel Forsyth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Forsyth (3 April 1891 - 24 August 1918) was a New Zealand 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 27 years old, and a sergeant in the New Zealand Engineers, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, attached to 2nd Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment during the First World War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 24 August 1918 at Grevillers, France, when Sergeant Forsyth's company was under heavy machine-gun fire on nearing their objective, he led attacks on three machine-gun positions and took the crews prisoner before they could inflict many casualties on our troops. Subsequently, in endeavouring to gain support from a tank to deal with several machine-guns, he was wounded and the tank put out of action. He then led the tank crew and several of his own men in an attack which brought about the retirement of the enemy machine-guns and enabled the advance to continue. At this moment he was killed by a sniper.
He is buried at Adanac Military Cemetery, France. Plot I, row 1, grave 39.
[edit] References
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- The Sapper VCs (Gerald Napier, 1998)
- Where the Prize is Highest (G Bryant, 1972)
[edit] External links
- Royal Engineers Museum Sappers VCs
- Forsyth S.F.
- New Zealand Troops who have won the Victoria Cross (brief biography details)
