Robert MacTier
Robert Mactier | |
|---|---|
 Robert Mactier | |
| Nickname(s) | Bob[1] |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service | Australian Imperial Force |
| Years of service | 1917–1918 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit | 23rd Australian Infantry Battalion |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Robert Mactier VC (17 May 1890 – 1 September 1918) was an Australian 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.
Mactier's actions have been described as "a remarkable one-man offensive".[2]
Early life
Robert Mactier was born at Tatura on 17 May 1890, the seventh of ten children [3] of Robert and Christina Mactier of "Reitcam" ("Mactier" spelt backwards), a nearby property[4]. He went to school locally, and later worked on his father's properties until he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Seymour on 1 March 1917. He sailed from Melbourne with the other 151 Victorians of 23rd Battalion, 19th Reinforcement aboard HMAT A11 Ascanius on 11 May.[5] He arrived in France on 14 November, and joined the Battalion on 23 November. He fought in all of the Battalion's subsequent battles until his death, including at Albert, where he was gassed, Hamel and the August Offensive.
Victoria Cross Action
He was 28 years old, and a Private in the 23rd Battalion when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
The citation for the Victoria Cross appeared in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No. 61 on 23 May 1919:[6]
Victoria Cross
'For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on the morning of the 1st September, 1918, during the attack on the village of Mt. St. Quentin. Prior to the advance of the battalion, it was necessary to clear up several enemy strong points close to our line. This the bombing patrols sent forward failed to effect, and the battalion was unable to move. Private Mactier, single handed, and in daylight, thereupon jumped out of the trench, rushed past the block, closed with and killed the machine gun garrison of eight men with his revolver and bombs, and threw the enemy machine gun over the parapet. Then, rushing forward about 20 yards, he jumped into another strong point held by a garrison of six men, who immediatley surrendered. Continuing to the next block through the trench, he disposed of an enemy machine gun which had been enfilading our flank advancing troops, and was then killed by another machine gun at close range. It was entirely due to this exceptional valour and determination of Private Mactier that the battalion was able to move on ot its "jumping off" trench and carry out the successful operation of capturing the village of Mt. St. Quentin a few hours later.'
Mactier was buried nearby but was later reinterred in the Hem Farm cemetery.[7] His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.
Honours & Awards
_ribbon_bar.png){kind=small} |
Victoria Cross (VC) | (1918) |
| British War Medal | ||
| Victory Medal |
Mactier has been commemorated in numerous ways.
In his home town of Tatura, there is a stained glass window in St Andrews Church dedicated to the memory of Mactier and his parents. The Robert Mactier VC Memorial Garden, commonly known as Mactier Park, is also named after him.[8]
In 1963 the Soldiers' club at Simpson Barracks, Watsonia, Victoria was named the "Mactier VC Club" in his honour. It also holds a bust of him by Wallace Anderson.
References
- ^ Merrilyn Lincoln (1986). "Mactier, Robert (Bob) (1890 - 1918)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Wigmore, Lionel (ed) (1963). They Dared Mightily. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. p. 157.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ Merrilyn Lincoln (1986). "Mactier, Robert (Bob) (1890 - 1918)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ Wigmore. p. 156.
{{cite book}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Robert MACTIER)". The AIF Project. UNSW@ADFA. 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ "Robert MACTIER)". The AIF Project. UNSW@ADFA. 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
- ^ Merrilyn Lincoln (1986). "Mactier, Robert (Bob) (1890 - 1918)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 10. Melbourne University Press. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
- ^ "Tatura Irrigation and Wartime Camps Museum - Local History". Retrieved 10 May 2011.
External links
- MACTIER R.
- Private R. Mactier (photo, brief details)