| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART27532 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 76.4 x 61 cm; framed: 97 x 81.8 cm |
| Object type | Painting |
| Physical description | oil on canvas |
| Maker |
Smith, Joshua |
| Place made | Australia: New South Wales, Sydney |
| Date made | 1958 |
| Conflict |
Period 1950-1959 Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Corporal John Edmondson
Description
Portrait of NX15705 Corporal John H Edmondson, VC, 2/17 Battalion, AIF, was in a small group that attacked with the bayonet a party of Germans which had broken through a point of the Tobruk defences in April 1941. During the counter-attack Edmondson was severely wounded but carried on, saved the life of his officer and personally accounted for several of the enemy soldiers. The survivors were put to flight and one prisoner was taken. Edmonson died from his wounds shortly after the fight. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross - the first such award to Australian forces in the Second World War.