Alfred Shout Alfred John Shout VC , MC ( 8 August 1882 – 11 August 1915 ) was a New Zealand - born Australian soldier and recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest decoration for gallantry " in the face of the enemy " awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces . In 1915 , he was awarded the Military Cross during the landing at Anzac Cove in April and received the Victoria Cross posthumously for his actions during the Battle of Lone Pine in August . Shout was also Mentioned in Despatches , making him the most highly decorated soldier of the Australian Imperial Force during the Gallipoli Campaign . Early life . Alfred John Shout was born in Wellington , New Zealand , on 8 August 1882 . He was the eldest of nine children to an English - born father , John Richard Shout , and Irish mother , Agnes Mary . Information on Alfred Shout ' s early life is rather scant , and the details differ between sources . However , it is believed he was privately educated in his youth and , around 1900 , he joined a New Zealand Army contingent for service in the Second Boer War . On arrival in South Africa , he enlisted in the newly raised Border Horse on 17 February 1900 . The Border Horse was an irregular colonial force formed in eastern Cape Colony , and Shout was allotted to the unit ' s No . 1 Company with the service number 9216 . Shout served at Wittebergen , Transvaal and Cape Colony with the Border Horse and was twice wounded , including once in the chest . On 29 January 1901 , Shout , then a lance corporal , was engaged in action with his unit at Thabaksberg . Throughout the battle , he " assisted greatly " in maintaining the position of his men , and at one stage ventured out under heavy rifle fire to retrieve a wounded man , bringing him back to a place of safety . As a result of his " great courage " in this action , Shout was Mentioned in Despatches . He was promoted to sergeant on 7 May 1901 , and discharged from the Border Horse 16 days later . He then joined the Stellenbosch District Mounted Troop and later saw service with the Cape Colonial Forces . Having " served with distinction " during his time in South Africa , Shout discharged from service in 1902 . Shout decided to remain in South Africa after his discharge and , in 1903 , enlisted in the South African Army as a sergeant in Prince Alfred ' s Own Cape Field Artillery . While in Cape Town , Shout married Rose Alice Howe , an Australian woman , in 1905 ; the couple had daughter Florence Agnes Maud on 11 June that year . In 1907 , the Shout family emigrated to Australia , settling in the Sydney suburb of Darlington . Here , Shout gained employment as a carpenter and joiner at Resch ' s Brewery . He maintained his interest in the military , immediately joining the 29th Infantry Regiment of the Citizens Military Force ( CMF ) and becoming a regular visitor of the Randwick rifle range , where he gained a reputation as an excellent shot with a rifle . A foundation member of the 29th Infantry Club , Shout was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the CMF on 16 June 1914 . First World War . Following the outbreak of the First World War , Shout transferred to the newly raised Australian Imperial Force on 27 August 1914 . He was posted to the 1st Battalion as a second lieutenant in F Company , commanded by Lieutenant Cecil Sasse . On 18 October , the 1st Battalion embarked for Egypt , with Shout boarding HMAT " Afric " at Sydney . Following a brief stop at Albany , Western Australia , the troopship arrived at its destination on 2 December . Shortly after arrival , the 1st Battalion was reorganised into a formation of four companies ; Shout was allotted to D Company as a platoon commander . The battalion spent the following four months training in the Egyptian desert , during which time Shout was promoted lieutenant on 1 February 1915 . Gallipoli . Landing at Anzac . As part of an endeavour to defeat Turkey and force a supply route through to Russia via the Bosporus and the Black Sea , the British War Council formulated an invasion plan of the Gallipoli Peninsula . On 25 April 1915 , the men of the 1st Australian Brigade — of which the 1st Battalion was part — landed ashore at Anzac Cove between 05 : 30 and 07 : 30 among the second and third waves of Australian troops . The 1st Battalion was meant to be held in reserve , but the unit rapidly became engaged in battle . Following a request for reinforcements , Shout moved up with one of the 1st Battalion ' s companies to the hill feature " Baby 700 " . Arriving at the position around 11 : 00 , he led a party of men to hold the rear left flank of the hill as part of the Australians ' rearguard action . The Allied position on Baby 700 had become dire by that afternoon , which was compounded by the small number of available infantry in the area and the complete lack of artillery support , when the Turks launched an assault . By this stage , Shout and Lieutenant Leslie Morshead of the 2nd Battalion were the only two surviving officers in their sector of the line . At 16 : 30 , the Turkish force broke through the defensive line and the Australians were forced to abandon their position on Baby 700 . Shout was one of the last to evacuate , and withdrew down to the beach . During his retreat , Shout encountered Lieutenant Colonel George Braund , commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion , on Walker ' s Ridge . Braund dispatched him to the beach with a message containing a request for reinforcements . On arrival , Shout was immediately tasked with leading 200 stray men to reinforce the thin defensive line near Braund ' s position . Shout established a post at the base of the ridge as dusk began to set in , and his men started to dig in . By 27 April , Shout had been continually in action without rest since the landing . That morning , he was despatched to a sector of Walter ' s Ridge to replace a wounded officer . At his new post , Shout and his men were subject to heavy rifle fire from Turkish soldiers located in the scrub just beyond the Australians ' trench . He promptly set about reorganising his men and , having done so , ventured out to reconnoitre the exact position of the Turkish soldiers in order to accurately direct his men ' s rifle fire . Despite being wounded early in the action , Shout refused to leave the frontline . Later during the day , the Turks were closing in on the Australian trench and Shout led a bayonet change against their position . He was later wounded a second time , with a bullet passing through his arm and rendering it useless , but still refused to leave . Soon after , he was wounded a third time and was evacuated for treatment . Throughout the battle , Shout had carried several wounded men out of the frontline . Cited for his " conspicuous courage and ability " at Walker ' s Ridge , Shout was consequently awarded the Military Cross , becoming the first member of his battalion to be honoured with the decoration . The notification and accompanying citation for the medal was published in a supplement to the " London Gazette " on 3 July 1915 . Shout ' s wounds proved not to be serious and he soon rejoined the 1st Battalion . On 11 May , he was injured once again , suffering another bullet wound to his arm and was evacuated to the hospital ship " Gascon " ; he rejoined his unit fifteen days later , having sufficiently recovered . On 20 May , Shout was Mentioned in the Despatch of General Sir Ian Hamilton , General Officer Commanding Mediterranean Expeditionary Force , as a result of his efforts from the landing on 25 April up to 5 May . He was promoted to captain on 29 July . Lone Pine . On 6 August 1915 , an assault on the " impregnable " Turkish position at Lone Pine was launched by the men of the 2nd , 3rd and 4th Battalions , 1st Australian Brigade , with the 1st Battalion in reserve . The attack was orchestrated as one of a set of feints in order to draw Turkish attention and divert reinforcements from the British landings at Suvla Bay and thus the Allied offensive on Sari Bair . The Australian assault commenced in the late afternoon just before sunset , and within half an hour they had seized their objectives . Despite the initial success , the Australian casualties had been heavy and the 1st Battalion was ordered forward in preparation for the expected Turkish counter - attack . The battle subsequently descended into " bitter , savage fighting " over the following days , predominantly in the form of " deadly bombing duels " with grenades . At 09 : 00 on 9 August , the 1st Battalion relieved the 3rd Battalion at Sasse ' s Sap on the Lone Pine frontline . However , as soon as the men of the 3rd Battalion were clear of the trenches , the Turks renewed their attack and were successful in seizing a significant proportion of Sasse ' s Sap . In response , Shout and Captain Cecil Sasse gathered three men to carry sandbags in order to construct trench barricades and charged down the Sap . The two officers ran at the head of the party , with Sasse sniping at the Turkish soldiers with his rifle while Shout hurled bombs . The group advanced small stages at a time until they had recaptured approximately of the line , at which point the trio carrying the sandbags constructed a barricade while Sasse continued to fire at the Turks . Sasse was credited with killing twelve Turkish soldiers during the action and Shout with eight , while forcing the remainder to flee . Sasse , " elated " by their achievement earlier that day , went to Shout that afternoon and the pair agreed to attempt a repeat of the earlier operation . This time , the duo assembled a party of eight men to carry sandbags and extra bombs . Having made a " sufficient reconnaissance " of the area , the previously erected barricade was shoved down and , side - by - side , Sasse and Shout ran forward . The group advanced in much the same manner as before , moving in short stages and building a barricade each time they halted . Shout was fighting with " splendid gaiety " throughout the assault , " laughing and joking and cheering his men on " . As they progressed further , the two officers spotted a suitable location to raise their final barricade . Shout then simultaneously lit three bombs for the final run forward in an effort to prevent the Turkish soldiers from hindering the construction of the barricade . He successfully threw two of the grenades , and attempted to hurl the third when it burst as it was leaving his hand . Shout was mortally wounded , the explosion having shattered his right hand and part of the left , destroying his left eye , cutting his face , and causing burns to his chest and leg . Despite the severity of his injuries , Shout maintained consciousness and was dragged out of the firing line , where he remained cheerful , " drank tea and sent a message to his wife " . Victoria Cross and legacy . Shout was evacuated from the Gallipoli Peninsula to the hospital ship " Euralia " shortly afterwards . On 11 August 1915 , he succumbed to his wounds and was buried at sea . As a consequence of his actions during the Battle of Lone Pine , Shout was awarded the Victoria Cross , while Captain Cecil Sasse was decorated with the Distinguished Service Order . The announcement of Shout ' s Victoria Cross was promulgated in an issue of the " London Gazette " on 15 October 1915 , reading : Considerable confusion reigned following Shout ' s death . On 15 August the Army sent a cable telling Rose Shout that her husband had been wounded a second time ( she had already received notification of his 27 April wound ) . Initially , records showed Shout died on 11 August but they were then altered on 20 August showing him ' Not Dead ' on " Thermistocles " returning to Australia . The press in Australia published news of his return , adding that he would arrive in Sydney mid - September . Shortly after the war the citizens of Darlington commemorated the name of Alfred Shout on a memorial plaque . This plaque is now held at Victoria Barracks having been removed from Darlington . Until 2006 Shout ' s medals , including his Victoria Cross , remained in the possession of his family — at the time , the only one of the nine VCs won by Australians at Gallipoli not in the collection of the Australian War Memorial . On 24 July 2006 the medals were auctioned with the VC fetching a record A $ 1 . 2 million , surpassing the previous record price for the VC of Norman Cyril Jackson . Shout ' s medals were bought by Kerry Stokes , and donated to the Australian War Memorial .