Bruce Kingsbury, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Bruce Kingsbury

Australian soldier, recipient of the Victoria Cross

Date of Birth: 08-Jan-1918

Place of Birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Date of Death: 29-Aug-1942

Profession: military personnel

Nationality: Australia

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Bruce Steel Kingsbury, VC (8 January 1918 – 29 August 1942) was an Australian soldier of the Second World War.
Serving initially in the Middle East, he later gained renown for his actions during the Battle of Isurava, one of many battles forming the Kokoda Track Campaign in New Guinea.
His bravery during the battle was recognised with the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.
The first serviceman to receive the VC for actions on Australian territory, Kingsbury was a member of the 2/14th Infantry Battalion. On 29 August 1942, during the Battle of Isurava, Kingsbury was one of the few survivors of a platoon that had been overrun by the Japanese.
He immediately volunteered to join a different platoon, which had been ordered to counter-attack.
Rushing forward and firing his Bren gun from the hip, he cleared a path through the enemy and inflicted several casualties.
Kingsbury was then shot by a sniper and killed instantly.
His actions, which delayed the Japanese long enough for the Australians to fortify their positions, were instrumental in saving his battalion's headquarters and he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross as a result.