Lance Corporal Bernard Gordon & Captain James NewlandPrint Page

The garden with plaques commemorates Victoria Cross recipients, Lance Corporal Bernard Gordon and Captain James Newland.

Gordon was born in Launceston in 1891 and worked as a cooper’s machinist before joining the AIF in 1915. A few weeks before his VC action, he single-handedly attacked a machine gun crew and killed a sniper and was awarded a Military Medal for this action.

As part of the 41st Battalion which was wedged between the River Somme and the German forces when they launched a dawn attack on the 27th August 1918 ,he single-handedly attacked a machine gun killing the man on the gun and capturing the post. He then cleared up a trench capturing 29 prisoners and two machine guns. He then proceeded to clear up further trenches capturing prisoners including officers and machine guns.

Newland was awarded the VC for bravery on three separate occasions in April 1917 west of Boursies and Lagnicourt in France. He organized and personally led a bombing attack under heavy fire. After his company suffered heavy casualties he rallied his men and was one of the first to reach their objective. The following night while holding the captured position, his company came under heavy fire and by his own leadership and courage , he successfully dispersed the enemy and regained the position.

On another occasion when his company was attacked on all sides, it was his own disregard for safety that encouraged the men to hold out. Although claimed as a Tasmanian hero, Newland was born in Geelong in August 1881.

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