Australian Victoria Cross Recipient
Private Edward Kenna
Unit
2/4th Battalion
Born
6 July 1919 at Hamilton, Victoria
Date of action
15 May 1945
Place
Near Wewak, New Guinea (now Papua New Guinea)
Details
In an engagement with the enemy two sections attacked but were halted by intense fire after several men were hit. Kenna, in the support section, endeavoured to bring his gun to bear on the bunker, but was unable to because of the nature of the ground. Without orders, and on his own initiative, he immediately stood up in full view of the Japanese and engaged the bunker with a Bren gun, then a rifle and then a Bren gun again. The enemy machine gunners were only fifty metres away from him and their fire was so accurate that bullets passed between his arms and body but miraculously did not hit him. The remaining post was then knocked out by a tank and the attack was successfully concluded; many enemy were killed and several automatic weapons were captured.
Edward Kenna is one of Australia’s two living VC recipients as at June 2002.