Albert Jacka

Albert Jacka VC, MC & Bar (10 January 1893 – 17 January 1932) was given the Victoria Cross, the highest medal for valour "in the face of the enemy" that can be given to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. Jacka was the first Australian to win the VC during the First World War, receiving the medal for his actions during the Gallipoli Campaign. After Gallipoli he was sent to the Western Front where he again was given medals for his bravery.

After the war, Jacka went back to Australia and started a business, Roxburgh, Jacka & Co. Pty Ltd, importing and exporting electrical goods. He was later elected to the local council, and became the mayor of St Kilda, Victoria. Jacka never fully recovered from the many wounds he got in the war and died at the age of 39.

Early life
Albert Jacka was born on a dairy farm at Layard, near Winchelsea, Victoria on 10 January 1893. His parents were Nathaniel Jacka and his English wife, Elizabeth Kettle.Snelling. VCs of the First World War: Gallipoli, p. 116 The family moved to Wedderburn, Victoria when he was five years old, where he went the local school. He began working with his father transporting goods. He was working for the Victorian State Forests Department when the First World War broke out.

Gallipoli and the VC
He joined the AIF, the Australian Imperial Force, on 18 September 1914. His battalion was sent to Cairo Egypt for training. They landed at Gallipoli on 26 April, 1915, the second day of the Gallipoli campaign. On 19 May the Turkish army started a large attack to push the ANZACs back into the sea. The Turks were able to capture a small section of a trench at Courtney's Post. Jacka jumped into the trench by himself and killed most of the Turkish soldiers in it. For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

References

Category:1893 births
Category:1932 deaths
Category:Victoria Cross winners
Category:Australian military people
Category:Politicians from Victoria (Australia)
Category:Australian mayors