Samuel Frickleton Samuel Frickleton ( 1 April 1891 – 6 August 1971 ) was a soldier in the New Zealand Military Forces who served with the New Zealand Military Forces during the First World War . He was awarded the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award of the British Commonwealth for gallantry in the face of the enemy , for his actions in the Battle of Messines . Early life . Frickleton was born on 1 April 1891 in Slamannan in Scotland , one of 11 children born to a coal - miner and his wife . He immigrated to New Zealand in 1913 and lived on the West Coast . He worked alongside four of his brothers in a coal mine in Blackball . Military career . Following the outbreak of the First World War , Frickleton joined the New Zealand Military Forces in February 1915 and volunteered to serve overseas with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force ( NZEF ) . His four brothers had also volunteered for the NZEF . Frickleton embarked for the Middle East with the 5th Reinforcements with the rank of corporal in the Canterbury Battalion . After arriving in Egypt in June , he became ill and was repatriated back to New Zealand and subsequently discharged as medically unfit for active service . After a period of convalescence , he re - enlisted for the NZEF in 1916 . He was posted to France as a rifleman in the 3rd Battalion , New Zealand Rifle Brigade . By March 1917 , he had been promoted to corporal . On 7 June 1917 , Frickleton participated in the Battle of Messines . His battalion was attacking the edge of Messines village when it was slowed by two machine gun posts . He was awarded a Victoria Cross ( VC ) for his actions in dealing with these posts . The citation for his VC read as follows : Frickleton was wounded in the arm and hip and was badly gassed , which would affect his health for the remainder of his life . Evacuated to England for medical treatment , he was presented with his VC by King George V on 17 September 1917 , in a ceremony at Glasgow . By then he was an acting sergeant , which was confirmed later that year . After a period of further hospitalisation , he was selected for and underwent officer training . He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in March 1918 and returned to the Rifle Brigade . However , his health problems persisted and he was repatriated to New Zealand in June 1918 . He was accorded a hero ' s welcome and a reception was held at the Auckland Town Hall in his honour . He would spend the remainder of the year under medical care . He was discharged from the NZEF in December 1918 . Later life . After the war , Frickleton transferred to the New Zealand Staff Corps . He was promoted to acting lieutenant and served as assistant provost marshal for the Wellington Military District for several months until June 1919 . He was then transferred to the Canterbury Military District . For health reasons , he retired from the military with the rank of captain in April 1927 . In civilian life he tried several professions . At first , he took up business in Wellington and then tried farming at Waikanae . He later worked as a house manager . His poor health notwithstanding , in 1934 he joined the Territorial Force with the rank of captain . He was later awarded the Efficiency Decoration for his long service in the military . He was part of the New Zealand contingent sent to London in 1937 for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth . He was returned to the Officer Reserve the same year . In 1939 , Frickleton was recalled to active duty and served as Inspector , New Zealand Military Forces . He was returned to the Retired List in 1948 . In 1956 , he was one of 400 VC winners who paraded in Hyde Park in London . Frickleton died in 1971 in Wellington after a long illness . He was survived by his wife , who he married in 1922 , and a son . He is buried in the Taita Serviceman ' s Cemetery , Naenae . There are several memorials to his memory ; on 7 June 2007 , a plaque commemorating his bravery was unveiled at the Mesen Church in Belgium in a ceremony attended by two of his granddaughters . There is also a plaque in his honour at the Messines Ridge British Cemetery . Victoria Cross . Frickleton ' s wife donated his VC and other medals to the QEII Army Memorial Museum in 1977 . The VC was on display when it was one of nine Victoria Crosses that were among a hundred medals stolen from the museum in December 2007 . On 16 February 2008 , New Zealand Police announced all the medals had been recovered as a result of a NZ $ 300 , 000 reward offered by Michael Ashcroft and Tom Sturgess .