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Private Nicholas, VC
Henry James Nicholas
Nicholas was officially awarded the Victoria Cross following his bravery in action at Polderhoek (Belgium) on 3 December 1917.
He was awarded the Military Medal posthumously for his bravery in action during the fight for the bridgeheads at the River Ecaillon near the village of Beaudignies on 23 October 1918. At this time, the 12th Company, Canterbury Regiment, of which he was a member, was under heavy machine-gun fire from the high ground east of Le Quesnoy.
Nicholas was promoted to corporal on 3 December 1917 (the date of winning the Victoria Cross), then to lance-sergeant on 21 May 1918 and sergeant on 18 June 1918, shortly before he was officially invested with the Victoria Cross while on leave in London in July 1918. He was back on active service in France by 9 September 1918.
David Ferguson, The history of the Canterbury Regiment, NZEF, 1914–19, Whitcombe & Tombs, Auckland, 1921
Our thanks to Jennifer Quérée for additional information.
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YahooHow to cite this page: 'Private Nicholas, VC', URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/private-nicholas, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 13-Jun-2007
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