261355 Pte. James Bell Crichton VC.New Zealand 2nd Auckland Regiment James Crichton was born in Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland and served in the British Army before emigrating to New Zealand. When the First World War broke out, he enlisted in the 1st New Zealand Expeditionary Force and served in Gallipoli and then France. In April 1918, while serving as a Warrant Officer with the 1st New Zealand Field Bakery, he voluntarily relinquished his rank and transferred as a Private in the 2nd Auckland Infantry Regiment. Crichton was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on the 30th of September 1918 at Crèvecoeur in France during the Allied advance. Crichton had been wounded in the foot but when his platoon was forced back by a counter attack he carried a message by swimming a river and crossing an area swept by machine-gun fire. Later, under enemy fire, he removed explosive charges from a bridge, saving it from destruction.
|