Anderson VC Rest Area
Lake George, NSW
Federal Highway (M23)
At a Glance
Victoria Cross Recipient
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Groves Wright Anderson VC
2/19th Infantry Battalion
Charles Groves Wright Anderson was born in Cape Town, South Africa, on 12 February 1897. He served in the First World War with the King's African Rifles in German East Africa, earning a Military Cross. After the war he settled in New South Wales and became a farmer. When the Second World War broke out, he enlisted in the Australian Military Forces and was promoted to lieutenant colonel, taking command of the 2/19th Infantry Battalion as part of the 8th Division's deployment to Malaya.
Between 18 and 22 January 1942 in the Muar area of Malaya, Anderson's small force was sent to restore a vital position and support the 45th Indian Brigade. Over five days of continuous fighting against overwhelming Japanese forces, Anderson displayed superb leadership. His force destroyed ten enemy tanks, defeated persistent attacks from air and ground forces, and when cut off from the main body, he forced his way through fifteen miles of enemy-held territory to reach friendly lines. He was captured during the Fall of Singapore on 15 February 1942 and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner, enduring years of brutal captivity on the Burma Railway.
Anderson was the highest-ranked Australian soldier to receive a Victoria Cross and the first Australian to earn the VC for action against the Japanese. After liberation, he entered politics, serving as the Country Party member for the Federal seat of Hume from 1949 to 1951 and again from 1955 to 1961. He died on Remembrance Day, 11 November 1988, at the age of ninety-one.
Born 12 February 1897, Cape Town, South Africa. Died 11 November 1988, Canberra, ACT.
References
Remembrance Driveway
Stop 17 of 20 along the Remembrance Driveway
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EPIC (Exhibition Park Campground)
$? · 25.6km