The Victoria Cross award to Tasmanian Sergeant John Whittle has been auctioned and will remain in the Australian War Memorial for generations to come.
Sergeant Whittle had a long and distinguished career in the Australian Army and Royal Navy, originally fighting in the Boer War before being deployed in World War One.
During his service on the Western Front in 1916 he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for rushing a German trench and compromising the position.
In 1917, during the German retreat to the Hindenberg Line, Whittle stormed a German machine gun post, neutralised the combatants and seized the gun.
Further to his accolades, Whittle was wounded three times during the war and in 1934 was presented the Certificate of Merit for saving a drowning boy.
It is wonderful that Sergeant Whittle's Victoria Cross will remain at the Australian War Memorial, it will serve as an enduring memory of a brave Tasmanian soldier.
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