William Jackson ( VC ) John William Alexander Jackson VC ( 13 September 1897 – 4 August 1959 ) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross ( VC ) , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces . Jackson was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1916 for selfless courage under heavy fire while rescuing his comrades near Armentières in France during World War I . Jackson is the youngest Australian to have been awarded a Victoria Cross . His was the first VC to be won by an Australian on the Western Front . Early life . John William Alexander Jackson was born on 13 September 1897 on " Glengower " station , near Gunbar . Known as William or Bill , he was the fourth child of John Gale Jackson and Adelaide Ann ( " née " McFarlane ) . His mother died in 1905 and her six surviving children were raised by Adelaide ’ s parents at " Seaton Park " ( a district property ) . William and his siblings attended the Gunbar School and William later found employment on local properties . The Great War . On 15 February 1915 , Jackson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in the first group of volunteers from Gunbar . In order to do so , with his father ' s approval , Jackson had raised his age by one year . Placed in the 17th Battalion ( 5th Infantry Brigade ) Jackson embarked for Egypt in May 1915 for initial training . On 20 August he was landed at Gallipoli and fought at Kaiakij Aghala ( Hill 60 ) . Six weeks later Jackson was hospitalised with severe dysentery . He recovered in a military hospital in Cairo and on 15 February 1916 rejoined his battalion only days before it embarked for France as part of the 2nd Division . On 10 April Jackson ' s Division took over a forward position in the eastern Amentieres section of the Western Front . As a prelude to what became known as the Battle of the Somme , orders were issued for raids to be carried out on enemy positions between 20 and 30 June 1916 . On the night of 25 June , Jackson was acting as a scout for a party of forty soldiers , as they carried out an assault on the forward trenches of a Prussian infantry regiment , south - east of Bois Grenier ( near Armentières ) . During the assault Jackson captured an enemy soldier and returned with him through no man ' s land . Prisoners were valued for the purpose of interrogation . On learning that some of his party had been hit in the intense shelling and gun - fire , Jackson returned to no man ' s land . He helped to bring in a wounded man , before going out again . While assisting Sergeant Camden to bring in the seriously wounded Private Robinson , a shell exploded nearby . The blast rendered Camden unconscious , blew off Jackson ’ s right arm above the elbow and inflicted further wounds to Robinson . Despite the loss of his arm , Jackson managed to return to his trenches , claiming he only felt " a numbing sensation " . An officer applied a tourniquet to his arm , using a piece of string and a stick , and Jackson returned to no man ’ s land for another half an hour until he was satisfied there were no wounded men left on the battlefield . The hospital ship " St . Patrick " took Jackson from Boulogne to England where the remainder of his right arm was amputated . While recovering in an Australian military hospital near London , it was announced that Jackson had been awarded the Victoria Cross ( VC ) " for his great coolness and most conspicuous bravery while rescuing his wounded comrades while under heavy enemy fire " . Approval of Jackson ’ s VC was gazetted on 8 September 1916 , five days prior to his nineteenth birthday . Two weeks later , approval was gazetted of the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal ( DCM ) to Private Jackson and to Sergeant Camden for their part in the rescue of wounded soldiers that night . Return to Australia . Jackson left England with a large group of repatriated servicemen aboard the " Themistocles " , and arrived in Sydney on 5 July 1917 . At a reception in Sydney for the returned soldiers , held at the Anzac Buffet in the Domain , Jackson was hoisted shoulder - high and singled out for great honour . Accounts suggest that Jackson ’ s private and reticent nature left him ill - prepared for the attention and adulation he received on his return to Australia . Shortly afterwards Jackson travelled by train to Hay , accompanied by his comrade Sergeant Camden . They were met at the railway station by a large crowd who rushed " to get a sight of Private Jackson , and cheer after cheer was given for the returned hero " . The two soldiers were officially welcomed in front of the Post Office . The Deputy Mayor spoke of Hay ’ s reflected glory when reports stated that Jackson was from " Gunbar , near Hay " . Camden replied on Jackson ’ s behalf , and spoke of his comrade ’ s selfless courage : " Bill was not looking for a VC that night , he was looking for a cobber " . That evening Jackson and Sergeant Camden dined with local dignitaries at Tattersall ' s Hotel , on a table covered with the Union Jack and table - napkins folded in the form of military tents . Gunbar had been experiencing hard times . A period of close settlement in the last decades of the previous century had ended , due to drought and the realities of farming marginal land . Businesses had closed and many of the original selectors and their descendants had left the district and the trend was towards larger holdings and fewer people . Despite this , Jackson was met with great celebration and pride on his return . The residents sought to show their appreciation of Jackson by buying him a farming property in the area , but he declined their offer , believing the loss of his arm rendered him incapable of work on the land . Several years after Jackson ' s discharge in September 1917 the Army advised his father , John Jackson , that his son ’ s DCM had been cancelled . In trying to rectify what seems to be a bureaucratic error the AIF asked John Jackson to return the official DCM award notification he had been sent . John Jackson claimed it was no longer in his possession . By this stage Jackson was living in Kensington , Sydney , close to members of his father ’ s family . Later life . In the early 1920s Jackson moved to Merriwa in the New England area , where he became a dealer in skins . In 1927 he became the licensee of the Figtree Hotel near Wollongong for eighteen months . During the Depression years Jackson had several jobs , including managing a green - grocery business and working as a clerk in Sydney . William Jackson married Ivy Morris , a dressmaker , in January 1932 at Kogarah . They had one child , a daughter named Dorothea . After enlisting during the Second World War Jackson was interrogated in December 1941 regarding his right to wear a DCM ribbon . Jackson denied any knowledge that the award had been cancelled and replied that he would continue to wear all his medals . Jackson requested a discharge and indicated he would prefer to let the matter be decided in Court . The Army seems to have relented , probably on advice from the War Office in London , because Jackson re - enlisted less than three weeks after his discharge on 30 March 1942 . He served as Corporal in the 2nd Australian Labour Company until 1946 . After 1946 Jackson again worked as a dealer in skins . He moved to Melbourne in 1953 and was appointed as a Commissionaire and Inquiry Attendant at the Melbourne Town Hall . In August 1953 , at a civic reception for Australian Governor - General Sir William Slim , the guest of honour noticed his lift - driver was wearing a VC ribbon , and spoke at length to Jackson , despite the waiting civic dignitaries . During the 1954 Royal Tour of Australia , Jackson was given several honoured roles . In 1956 Jackson sailed to England for the Victoria Cross Centenary Celebrations . He became extremely ill on the voyage and spent six weeks in hospital , before being flown home . Jackson continued as an employee of the Melbourne City Council until his death . Jackson died of heart disease on 5 August 1959 in the Repatriation General Hospital , Heidelberg . He was cremated at Springvale Cemetery with full military honours and his ashes placed in the Boronia Gardens . On 28 May 2008 , the Victoria Cross and campaign medals awarded to Private William Jackson , were sold privately to an Australian collector , whose identity has not been revealed . The price paid for the VC group is thought to be around A $ 650 , 000 . References . This account of William Jackson ’ s life is based on :