| Birth: | Apr. 13, 1891 | | Death: | Jan. 27, 1921 | 
World War I Victoria Cross recipient. Buckley was born in Hawthorn and educated at the Christian Brothers' school, Abbotsford. He was working at Warrnambool when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on December 18, 1914. He was posted to the 13th Light Horse Regiment and embarked for Egypt on June 25, 1915. He was sent back to Australia on August 31, 1915 for medical reasons where he deserted from hospital on March 20, 1916. He re-enlisted in Sydney on May 16, 1916 under the name of Gerald Sexton; Gerald was the name of a deceased brother. He was allotted to the 13th Australian Infantry Battalion and joined his unit on the Somme in January 1917. He fought at the First Battle of Bullecourt in April and at the Third Battle of Ypres at Polygon Wood in September. He was at Hébuterne and then Villers-Bretonneux from April 1918 and was wounded at Hamel on July 6. He resumed duty to serve in the Battle of Amiens on August 8 where he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. While advancing towards Morcourt he silenced four enemy posts with his Lewis-gun allowing the company advance to continue. When the battalion was advancing through tall crops, he stood up in full view of the enemy to note the position of the gun from the flashes and, firing from the hip, put it out of action. During the attack on Le Verguier, on September 18, he had by the end of the day, rushed at least six machine-gun positions, captured a field-gun and taken nearly 100 prisoners. He was awarded the Victoria Cross. It was awarded under the name of Gerald Sexton but he apllied successfully to be officially allowed to resume his real name. He received both the Victoria Cross and the Distinguished Conduct Medal under his true name from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 25 May 1919. He was discharged in Australia in December 1919 and was one of 14 Victoria Cross recipients who led the Melbourne St Patrick's Day March in 1920. On 15 January 1921, while working as a road-contractor in Gippsland, he was injured when he tried to jump his horse over the railway gates at Boolarra. He died twelve days later in hospital at Fitzroy, and after a requiem mass in St Patrick's Cathedral was buried in Brighton cemetery with full military honours. Ten Victoria Cross recipients were pallbearers. (bio by: Anthony Staunton)
Search Amazon for Maurice Buckley | | | Burial:
Brighton Cemetery
Melbourne
Victoria, Australia |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Aug 16, 2003
Find A Grave Memorial# 7768459 |
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