"On 23rd June 1944, at Mawaraka, Bougainville, in the Solomon Islands,
Corporal Sefanaia Sukanaivalu crawled forward to rescue some men who
had been wounded when their platoon was ambushed and some of the leading
elements had become casualties. After two wounded men had been successfully recovered this
N.C.O., who was in command of the rear section, volunteered to go on
farther alone to try and rescue another one, in spite of machine gun and
mortar fire, but on the way back he himself was seriously wounded in
the groin and thighs and fell to the ground, unable to move any farther. Several attempts were then made to rescue Corporal Sukanaivalu
but without success owing to heavy fire being encountered on each
occasion and further casualties caused. This gallant N.C.O. then called to his men not to try to get to
him as he was in a very exposed position, but they replied that they
would never leave him to fall alive into the hands of the enemy. Realising that his men would not withdraw as long as they could
see that he was still alive and knowing that they were themselves all in
danger of being killed or captured as long as they remained where they
were, Corporal Sukanaivalu, well aware of the consequences, raised
himself up in front of the Japanese machine gun and was riddled with
bullets. This brave Fiji soldier, after rescuing two wounded men with the
greatest heroism and being gravely wounded himself, deliberately
sacrificed his own life because he knew that it was the only way in
which the remainder of his platoon could be induced to retire from a
situation in which they must have been annihilated had they not
withdrawn."
From Cpl. Sukanaivalu's Victorian Cross citation, awarded on 2 November 1944.
May you be at peace,
Brian
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