www.monumentaustralia.org.au

Sergeant Lewis McGeePrint Page Print this page

Sergeant Lewis McGee
Sergeant Lewis McGee
Photographs supplied by Diane Watson

A plaque commemorates Victoria Cross recipient, Lewis McGee who was born in Campbell Town in 1888 and worked as a train driver until he enlisted in March 1916.

McGee was shipped to France with the 40th Battalion in 1916. When the 40th Battalion attacked Broodseinde Bridge east of Ypres in October 1917, they were pinned down by machine guns protected by 10 pillboxes. Sergeant McGee could see that his platoon would suffer heavy casualties from a machine gun which lay 50m ahead on open ground. Single-handedly, armed only with a revolver, he rushed the post shooting some of the enemy and capturing the rest. This action allowed the Australians to advance.

Sergeant McGee was killed eight days later after this action. He is buried at Tyne Cot Cemetery near Passchendaele .

Location

Address:Bridge & Church Streets, War Memorial, Ross, 7209
State:TAS
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -42.031072
Long: 147.492129
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
View Google Map

Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Military
Actual Event Start Date:04-August-1914
Actual Event End Date:28-June-1919
Link: http://adb.anu.edu.au/

Dedication

Front Inscription

SGT. LEWIS MCGEE
40TH AUST INF BN, A.I.F.
BORN : 1888
ROSS, TASMANIA
AWARDED VC: 4TH. OCTOBER 1917
AT EAST OF YPRES , BELGIUM

(POSTHUMOUS AWARD)

Source: MA, ADB
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au