Military Cross : Lieutenant J H McK Edwards, 21 Battalion, AIF

Military Cross (George V). Engraved on reverse with recipient's details.

Military Cross awarded to Lieutenant John Harold McKenzie Edwards. Edwards had changed his name and age when he enlisted in the AIF as a private in April 1915, giving his name as Harold Edwards and his age as 24. He served on Gallipoli and in France and was commissioned in 1917.

Awarded the Military Cross on 4 July 1918 near Villers Bretonneux (Lieutenant Harold Edwards), the recommendation reads as follows: 'Near VILLERS BRETONNEUX during the attack on the morning of 4.7.18 this Officer carried out, after the consolidation of the objective a daylight reconnaissance into NO MAN'S LAND to locate some enemy Minenwerfer. He returned, collected a party and brought one back to our line, although subjected to heavy Machine Gun fire. Again in the evening of the same day he made another attempt but was unsuccessful owing to enemy M.G. fire. Going out the third time he successfully destroyed 3 Minenwerfers with Stokes and Mills bombs. Again the next day in preparation for a minor operation, he made, under constant enemy fire, another daylight reconnaissance and returned with valuable information. He carried on with the consolidation until wounded.' The very successful Australian attack referred to, which was launched on 4 July 1918, is better known as the Battle of Hamel, despite the confusing reference to Villers Bretonneux.

An outstanding infantryman, he was previously awarded the Distinguish Conduct Medal for his actions at Mouquet on 24/25 August 1916 and at Mouquet Farm on 26 August 1916 (845 Sergeant Harry Edwards). He was also awarded Military Medal in 1916 retrospectively for an unknown date at Gallipoli (845 Sergeant Jack Harold Edwards).

Edwards was demobilized in Melbourne in August 1919 and served in the permanent army from 1921 to 1923, when he moved to New Guinea where he was employed by Burns Philp & Co. as a native labour overseer at Rabaul. On 13 October 1939 Edwards was appointed a lieutenant in the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles but was not called up for full-time duty. Edwards was officially presumed to have been one of about 200 Australian civilian prisoners of war who died on 1 July 1942 when the Japanese transport, the Montevideo Maru, was torpedoed by an American submarine off Luzon in the South China Sea during its journey from Rabaul to Hainan Island.