Australian Victoria Cross Recipient
Captain Neville Reginald Howse
Unit
New South Wales Army Medical Corps
Born
3 26 October 1863 in Somerset, England. He emigrated to Australia in 1889 and set up a medical practice at Taree, New South Wales.
Date of action
24 July 1900
Place
Vredefort, Orange Free State
Details
At the height of an engagement Howse saw a trumpeter fall wounded in the foremost line. Howse galloped out under extremely heavy fire to rescue the man. Howse’s horse was shot dead, but he continued on foot to the casualty, treated his wounds and carried him out of the action. His Victoria Cross was the first awarded to an Australian soldier and is still (as at June 2002) the only one to have been awarded to a member of the medical elements of the Australian forces.
Died
19 September 1930
Buried or Commemorated
Kensal Green Cemetery, London, England
Current location of the VC
Australian War Memorial