Sergeant Henry Dalziel VC
Australian War MemorialIn this week’s installment of our series honouring Victoria Cross recipients from Queensland, we remember Sergeant Henry Dalziel VC. Born in Irvinebank in North Queensland, Sergeant Dalziel enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915.
During a battle near the French village of Le Hamel in 1916, Sergeant Dalziel launched an attack on an enemy machine-gun post and managed to singlehandedly capture the gun and its entire crew. He was shot in the hand shortly after and ordered to the rear, but he carried on reloading magazines and transporting ammunition to the frontline. Sergeant Dalziel received the 1,000th VC awarded to a member of the Commonwealth forces for his actions.
Although Sergeant Dalziel was troubled by his war injuries for the rest of his life, he became a farmer after returning to Australia and served in the Citizen Military Forces. When World War II broke out, he worked as a trainer for recruits. Sergeant Dalziel passed away in 1965 and was laid to rest in Brisbane with full military honours.
