Africa Star : Private B S Kingsbury, 2/14 Infantry Battalion, AIF

Africa Star. Impressed on reverse with recipient's details.

Bruce Steel Kingsbury was born at Armadale, Melbourne, in 1918. As a young man he spent time working on the land in Victorian country areas, but eventually settled in a position with his father's real estate firm at Northcote, in Melbourne. Enlisting in the AIF in May 1940, he was initially posted to 2/2 Pioneer Battalion, but almost immediately transferred to 2/14 Infantry Battalion, 7th Australian Division, with whom he remained until his death. After service in the Middle East, including participation in the invasion and capture of Vichy French Syria, the 2/14 returned to Australia, and was quickly thrown into the desperate fighting to halt the Japanese advance on Port Moresby. The battalion suffered crippling casualties in New Guinea, Kingsbury's 9 Platoon being almost completely wiped out. By mid September, the unit's fighting strength had been reduced to 86 all ranks, and it was forced to combine with 2/16 Battalion to form a unit about 200 strong. Bruce Kingsbury's posthumous Victoria Cross was the first to be awarded to an Australian for actions on Australian territory. After his death on 29 August 1942, he was initially buried in the Kokoda Cemetery, but later moved to Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby.