3 Aussies who won VC's in the British Army

Many thousands of Australians have served in the Armed Services of other countries, particularly Britain. In earlier times it was considered that being Australian was just another form of being British. However I doubt that any Regiment in the world can beat the record of the Royal Fusiliers who list among their best these 3 Australian VC winners

The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers was formed by order of Her Majesty the Queen on St. George's Day, 23rd April, 1968 by the union of the four regiments of the Fusilier Brigade: the Fifth Foot, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (1674), the Sixth Foot, the Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers (1674), the Royal Fusiliers (the City of London Regiment) (1685), and the Twentieth Foot, the Royal Lancashire Fusiliers (1688).

There is no distinction between the regular battalions of the regiment as each shares an equal inheritance from the four former regiments, and each draws Fusiliers from the four regimental areas of England - Northumberland, Warwickshire, London and Lancashire.

The regimental emblem is St. George with the Garter, all within a laurel wreath and surrounded by St. Edward's crown. the regimental flag is the red cross of St. George on a white field, with the regimental emblem in the centre of the cross. The regimental motto, inherited from the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and the Royal Fusiliers is that of the Royal Garter - Honi soit qui mal y pense - "Evil be to he who evil thinks. "The regimental cap badge consists of the symbol of St. George and the dragon within a laurel wreath ensigned with the Crown. The St. George and the dragon is inherited from the Royal Fusiliers and the laurel wreath from the Lancashire Fusiliers.

CITATION: On 3 September 1915, near Maktau, Kenya, during a mounted infantry engagement, the enemy were so close that it was impossible to get the more severely wounded away. Lieutenant Dartnell, who was himself being carried away wounded in the leg, seeing the situation, and knowing that the enemy's black troops murdered the wounded, insisted on being left behind, in the hope of being able to save the lives of other wounded men. He gave his own life in a gallant attempt to save others.


S G Pearse VC MM 29 August 1919	The Pearse Grave	A P Sullivan VC 10 August 1919
On 24 August 1919, north of Emtsa, North Russia, Sergeant Pearse cut his way through enemy barbed wire under very heavy machine-gun and rifle fire and cleared a way for the troops to enter an enemy battery position. He then charged a blockhouse which was harassing the advance and causing casualties, and killed the occupants with bombs. A minute later he was killed, but it was due to him that the position was carried with so few casualties. Other Decorations; MM Later achieved rank of Second Lieutenant.		On 10 August 1919, at Sheika River, North Russia, the platoon to which Corporal Sullivan belonged, after fighting a rearguard covering action, had to cross the river by means of a narrow plank, and during the passage an officer and three men fell into a deep swamp. Without hesitation, Corporal Sullivan, under intense fire, jumped into the river and rescued all four, bringing them out singly. But for this gallant action, the men would undoubtedly have drowned, as all ranks were exhausted and the enemy was less than 100 yards away.
Pearse VC and Sullivan VC both served with the 45th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers