"In New Guinea, the Battalion to which Private Kingsbury belonged had
been holding a position in the Isurava area for two days against
continuous and fierce enemy attacks. On the 29th August, 1942, the enemy
attacked in such force that they succeeded in breaking through the
Battalion's right flank, creating a serious threat both to the rest of
the Battalion and to its Headquarters. To avoid the situation becoming
more desperate, it was essential to regain immediately the lost ground
on the right flank. Private Kingsbury, who was one of the few survivors of a Platoon
which had been overrun and severely cut about by the enemy, immediately
volunteered to join a different platoon which had been ordered to
counter-attack. He rushed forward firing his Bren Gun from the hip through
terrific machine-gun fire and succeeded in clearing a path through the
enemy. Continuing to sweep the enemy positions with his fire and
inflicting an extremely high number of casualties on them, Private
Kingsbury was then seen to fall to the ground shot dead, by the bullet
from a sniper hiding in the wood. Private Kingsbury displayed a complete disregard for his own safety. His
initiative and superb courage made possible the recapture of the
position which undoubtedly saved Battalion Headquarters, as well as
causing heavy casualties amongst the enemy. His coolness, determination
and devotion to duty in the face of great odds was an inspiration to his
comrades."
From Pvt. Kingsbury's Victoria Cross citation, awarded on 5 February 1943.
May you be at peace,
Brian
A documentary of Kingsbury's action that won him the VC.
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