Henry James Nicholas Henry James Nicholas ( 11 June 1891 – 23 October 1918 ) was a New Zealander 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 , which he received during the First World War . He was later awarded a Military Medal for his actions during engagements with the enemy from late September to early October 1918 . He was killed in action three weeks before the end of the war . Early life . Nicholas was born in Lincoln , near Christchurch in New Zealand on 11 June 1891 . He was educated at schools in Christchurch , first at Christchurch Normal School and later at Christchurch East School . After completing his schooling , he was apprenticed to become a builder . First World War . In February 1916 , Nicholas enlisted in the New Zealand Military Forces , giving his occupation as a carpenter . He embarked for Europe three months later with the 13th Reinforcements to join the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in France . He was assigned to the 1st Battalion of the Canterbury Regiment with the rank of private . Nicholas was involved in an attack on Polderhoek Chateau on 3 December 1917 . The chateau was atop the Polderhoek Spur , which overlooked the trenches occupied by the 2nd Infantry Brigade , to which Nicholas ' s battalion was subordinate . The Canterbury and Otago battalions attacked midday but was slowed by heavy machine - gun fire . It was then that Nicholas performed the actions that led to the award of the Victoria Cross ( VC ) . His VC citation read as follows : The advance resumed but ground to a halt short of the chateau where the New Zealanders established a new front line . During this phase , Nicholas moved along the lines , collecting and distributing ammunition . What was left of the Canterbury and Otago battalions was relieved on 5 December 1917 . The award of the VC to Nicholas was gazetted in January 1918 . He was presented with his VC by King George V at an investiture at Buckingham Palace in July 1918 , having been promoted to sergeant the previous month . During the Hundred Days Offensive Nicholas won the Military Medal ( MM ) for actions performed in late September to early October during operations on Welsh and Bon Avis Ridges . On 23 October 1918 , he was performing guard duty at a bridge near Le Quesnoy when a German patrol encountered his position . He was killed during the ensuing exchange of gunfire . He was buried in the Vertigneul Churchyard on 29 October 1918 . The award of his MM was gazetted in March 1919 , and the citation made note of his " fearless leadership and contempt for danger " . Legacy . A bronze statue with biographical details of Nicholas was erected on the banks of the Avon River on 7 March 2007 , near the Bridge of Remembrance . Mark Whyte from Lyttelton was the sculptor of the statue . In September 2008 , a plaque in memory of Sergeant Nicholas was unveiled by the community of Zonnebeke and the New Zealand Embassy in Brussels , near Geluveld , just south west of the area where Nicholas won the VC . Nicholas ' Victoria Cross and Military Medal were gifted by his mother to the Canterbury Museum in 1932 , where they remain on display .