Patrick Joseph Bugden, VC (17 March 1897 – 28 September 1917) was an Australian recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces. He served during the First World War in the 31st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force and was killed during the

Battle of Polygon Wood The Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September to 3 October 1917) was fought during the second part of the Third Battle of Ypres in the First World War. The battle was fought near Ypres in Belgium, from the Menin road to Polygon Wood and thence north, ...

during which he displayed the bravery for which he was posthumously awarded the VC.

Early life

Patrick Bugden was born in the Australian state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, at South Gundurimba on 17 March 1897. His father, a farmer, died when Bugden was still a child and his mother later remarried. After completing his schooling, he worked at a hotel in Alstonville. In 1911, he commenced a year of

compulsory military service Conscription, also known as the draft in the United States and Israel, is the practice in which the compulsory enlistment in a national service, mainly a military service, is enforced by law. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it contin ...

First World War

Bugden enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

on 25 May 1916, claiming to be 21 years old. After completing a period of basic training, he embarked for England in September 1916 and arrived in Plymouth in December. Shortly afterwards he was admitted to hospital sick, before being sent to France in January 1917 and being taken on strength by the 31st Battalion in March. In May 1917, he was again admitted to hospital with

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

, before being released and returning to his unit. It was at

near

Zonnebeke Zonnebeke (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of , , Passendale, Zandvoorde (Zonnebeke), Zandvoorde and Zonnebek ...

in Belgium, during the Passchendaele Offensive in the period from 26 September to 28 September 1917 that Bugden performed the actions that led to his posthumous award of the Victoria Cross. During an advance by his battalion at

Polygon Wood In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon' ...

, he led small parties against strongly defended

pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military) A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, often ...

es, successfully dealing with them. He later carried out a number of rescues of wounded men, often under heavy artillery and machine gun fire. He was killed during one of these rescue missions. He was later recommended for the VC; the citation, published in the ''London Gazette'', read:

Memorials

Bugden is buried at

Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery Hooge Crater Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of the World War I, First World War located in the Ypres Salient in Belgium on the Western Front (World War I), Western Front. Hooge Crater Cemetery is named ...

. In 1997, a memorial to his service was dedicated at Alstonville, about 30 km from Tatham. The memorial is on Bugden Avenue, and the local

ANZAC Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

march starts there. Bugden Avenue in the Canberra suburb of Gowrie is also named for him. The Patrick Bugden VC Club is situated on the grounds of the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, in Townsville.

The medal

Bugden's VC is on display in the Queensland Museum, South Bank. He was also entitled to the

British War Medal The British War Medal is a campaign medal of the United Kingdom which was awarded to officers and men and women of British and Imperial forces for service in the First World War. Two versions of the medal were produced. About 6.5 million were st ...

and the Victory Medal.

Notes

References

External links

*
CWGC: Patrick Bugden
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bugden, Patrick Joseph 1897 births 1917 deaths Australian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Australian Army soldiers Australian military personnel killed in World War I Military personnel from New South Wales Burials at Hooge Crater Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery