Bernard Sidney Gordon, VC, MM (16 August 1891 – 19 October 1963) 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 ...

during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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.

First World War

Gordon was 27 years old, and acting as a

Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...

in the 41st Battalion, Australian Imperial Force when, during the Battle of Amiens, the following deeds leading to him being awarded the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

occurred. This action occurred on the "Black Day" of the German Army, in which the Australian Corps destroyed their opposition. As a result of this, on 9 August 1918 the Canadian Corps advance lead to a general retreat by the German troops. The Australian 3rd Division continued to advance toward the bend in the River Somme. During this period the following action, for which Gordon was awarded the

, took place: Gordon was wounded on 1 September 1918 (Bouchavesnes Spur – Battle of Mont St Quentin). He was evacuated and sent to England on 4 September 1918, where he was awarded the Military Medal on 15 September 1918. He was not awarded the

until 20 December 1918 (after the Armistice), the citation for which states:

Sale of his medal

Gordon's Victoria Cross was sold at auction in Sydney on 28 November 2006 for A$478,000.Lot 205
An Important World War 1 Victoria Cross to Lance Corporal Bernard Sidney Gordon 41st Battalion A.I.F., 28 November 2006, bonhamsandgoodman.com.au The medal was sold by one of Gordon's daughters, who needed money to keep the family farm in operation. The VC was purchased by an agent of media tycoon

Kerry Stokes Kerry Matthew Stokes (born John Patrick Alford on 13 September 1940) is an Australian businessman. He holds business interests in industries including electronic and print media, property, mining and construction equipment. He is most widely k ...

, the same man who paid a world record price of A$1 million in July 2006 for the VC awarded to

Alfred Shout Alfred John Shout, (8 August 1882 – 11 August 1915) was a New Zealand–born soldier and an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" awarded to members of the Brit ...

, A$180,000 for the

George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...

of Lieutenant Commander

George Gosse Lieutenant Commander George Gosse, (16 February 1912 – 31 December 1964) was an Australian recipient of the George Cross, the highest award for extraordinary acts of gallantry away from the field of battle that could be awarded to a member ...

, and in conjunction with the South Australian Government, the VC of Major

Peter Badcoe Peter John Badcoe, (11 January 1934 – 7 April 1967) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in battle that could be awarded at that time to a member of the Australian armed forces. Badcoe, born P ...

. All four medals are on display at the

Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial (AWM) is a national war memorial, war museum, museum and archive dedicated to all Australians who died as a result of war, including peacekeeping duties. The AWM is located in Campbell, Australian Capital Territory, C ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

Legacy

A successor unit to his 41st Battalion AIF, the

41st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment The 41st Battalion, Royal New South Wales Regiment, (41 RNSWR), is an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. An Army Reserve unit, it is one of four battalions of the Royal New South Wales Regiment and is attached to the 5th Brigade, 2nd ...

, continues to honour the memory of Lance Corporal Gordon VC MM. An annual Mess Dinner is held in his honour during August on the anniversary of his heroic actions. On the 7th of September, 2024, a new barracks facility was opened in

Chinderah, New South Wales Chinderah is a town in the Tweed Shire. It is located south of Tweed Heads and next to the seaside township of Kingscliff. An industrial estate, golf course and small shopping precinct are located within the area. History First surveyed in 1 ...

and was named as the Gordon VC Multi User Depot, for the use by the 41st Battalion.

Notes

External links

* James W. Courtney
'Gordon, Bernard Sidney (1891–1963)'

Australian Dictionary of Biography The ''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' (ADB or AuDB) is a national co-operative enterprise founded and maintained by the Australian National University (ANU) to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's ...

, Volume 9, Melbourne University Press, 1983, pp. 50–51 {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Bernard Sidney 1891 births 1963 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Launceston, Tasmania Military personnel from Tasmania Australian recipients of the Military Medal 20th-century Australian farmers