John Whittle (1882–1946) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces. Whittle was serving as a sergeant in the First World War when he was decorated with the Victoria Cross following two separate actions against German forces during their retreat to the Hindenburg Line in 1917. In the latter action, he attacked an entire machine gun crew, killing the group and seizing the gun. Born in Tasmania, Whittle completed twelve months active service during the Second Boer War, before returning to Australia and enlisting in the Royal Navy where he served for five years as a stoker. Re-enlisting in the army, he was posted to the Army Service Corps, artillery, and Tasmanian Rifle Regiment prior to the outbreak of the First World War. Transferring to the Australian Imperial Force in 1915, Whittle joined the 12th Battalion in Egypt and embarked for the Western Front the following year. During an attack on the village of La Barque, Whittle rushed a German trench and forced the men from the position; he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal as a result. Wounded three times during the war, Whittle was the subject of two courts-martial due to his unruly behaviour. In October 1918, he returned to Australia at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Australia to assist in recruitment. Discharged from the military in December 1918, he later moved to Sydney. In 1932, Whittle was presented with a Certificate of Merit after saving a drowning boy. He died in 1946 at the age of 63.
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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
986:
Byzantine–Bulgarian Wars: The Bulgarians defeated the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gates_of_Trajan
1862:
A council of Dakota decided to attack settlements throughout the Minnesota River valley in an effort to drive whites out of the area, sparking the Dakota War. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dakota_War_of_1862
1945:
Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaimed the independence of Indonesia , igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire, who wanted to regain control of the territory following Japan's surrender to end World War II two days earlier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_National_Revolution
1959:
Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, cited by many music critics as one of the best selling and most acclaimed jazz recordings of all time, was released. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kind_of_Blue
1969:
Hurricane Camille struck the Mississippi coast of the United States, killing 259 people and causing US$1.42 billion in damages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Camille
1999:
A 7.5 Mw earthquake struck northwestern Turkey, killing over 17,000 people and leaving approximately half a million people homeless. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_%C4%B0zmit_earthquake
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
enamor (v): To inflame with love; to charm; to captivate http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/enamor
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
To this day, if you ask me how I became a writer, I cannot give you an answer. To this day, if you ask me how a book is written, I cannot answer. For long periods, if I didn't know that somehow in the past I had written a book, I would have given up. --V. S. Naipaul http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/V._S._Naipaul