John Gildroy Grant VC

b. 26/08/1889 Hawera, New Zealand. d. 25/11/1970 Auckland, New Zealand.

John G Grant VC

John Gildroy Grant (1889-1970) was born on 26th August 1889 in Hawera, Taranaki, New Zealand. He was sometimes known as Roy. His father, George, was originally from Rathven, Buckie, Scotland, who emigrated to Canada in 1871, where he worked on the railways. He returned to Scotland briefly, before emigrating to New Zealand, arriving in Wellington in 1877. He lived at Ashburton, working as a contractor and carrier and ran a farm at Tinwald on the outskirts of Ashburton. In 1883 he moved to Hawera where he established a carrying business. On 3rd February 1886 he married Jane Proctor at Wilson Street, Hawera. Jane was also originally from Scotland, and emigrated to New Zealand in 1880. George later sold his business and purchased Kakaramea Hotel, until he sold that to buy a farm in Manaia. He later purchased a stables, and ran the Hawera Post Office and Railway Station. John had eight siblings in all.

John was educated at Kakaramea, South Taranaki between 1894-1895, Otakeho, South Taranaki from 1895-1897, Hawera Main School from 1897-1901, and finally Ohaupo School 1901-03. John then undertook an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner/builder in Hawera and was self-employed there as a builder and contractor. He served for 18 months with the Hawera Volunteer Rifles. John enlisted in B Company, 7th Reinforcements, Wellington Infantry Regiment, New Zealand Expeditionary Force at Wellington on 14th June 1915. He embarked for Egypt on 9th October with 7th Reinforcements in a convoy comprising of HMNZT 32 Aparima, HMNZT 33 Navua and HMNZT 34 Warrimoo. He disembarked at Suez on 18th November and joined 11th Company, 1st Battalion, Wellington Infantry Regiment at Moascar, Ismailia on 9th January 1916.

On 10th July he was awarded 14 days Field Punishment No 2 for being absent from his billet at roll call. He joined the Battalion bombers on 22nd July. He was admitted to 1st New Zealand Field Ambulance with a fractured rib on 3rd September and was transferred to 1st New Zealand Stationary Hospital, Amiens, from where he was discharged on 13th September. He was admitted to 1st New Zealand Field Ambulance and No 1 Australian Casualty Clearing Station on 27th December with a cut hand and did not rejoin the Battalion until 14th February 1917.

He became the Battalion Bombing Sergeant and was attached to HQ Company on 2nd February 1918. He was granted leave to Britain until 10th March. On 28th May he was admitted to 3rd New Zealand Field Ambulance and was transferred to 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital, Doullens on 29th May and to 22nd General Hospital, Camiers later the same day with pyrexia. It was fortunate he was moved as the 3rd Canadian Stationary Hospital was hit by an air raid that night, resulting in deaths of two surgeons, three nursing sisters and sixteen other ranks and eleven patients.

On 1st September 1918 near Bancourt, France, the leading waves of the battalion on reaching a crest of high ground, found that a line of enemy machine-gun posts offered a serious obstacle to further advance. The company, however, advanced against these posts under point-blank fire, and when about 20 yards (18 m) away Sergeant Grant, closely followed by a comrade, rushed ahead of his platoon, entering the centre post and demoralising the garrison so that the platoon were able to mop up the positions. In the same manner he rushed the post on the left and the remaining posts were quickly occupied and cleared by his company. For this action Sergeant Grant was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Shortly afterwards, Grant was promoted to second lieutenant and traveled to Cambridge in England for officer training in October 1918. He was wounded in November, within days of his return to the front. He, together with three other New Zealanders who had been awarded the VC, received his medal from King George V in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 27th February 1919. His service with the NZEF ended with his repatriation to New Zealand later that year. His home town of Hawera gave him a formal welcome on his return on 29th October 1919 and he was presented with an inscribed gold watch. At the ceremony attended by Lieutenant Harry Laurent VC, he planted an oak tree, known as the “Victory Oak”.

In early 1919 Grant was commissioned, before returning to New Zealand and leaving the Army in 1920. After later service in the Territorial Force he retired in 1929 with the rank of Lieutenant. He was discharged due to his age and also for being unable to attend camp.

John married Elizabeth Olive Merriman, a nurse from Westport, Waimangaroa, on 7th October 1924 at St Andrews Presbyterian Church, New Plymouth. He was adversely affected by the war, suffering in later life with what would be called now PTSD. He would behave aggressively at home and abused alcohol frequently. John left the family in 1927 and faded into obscurity, losing custody of his children in the process. Elizabeth filed for divorce on 13th September 1927 on the grounds of lack of maintenance, persistent cruelty and being habitually drunk. A Separation Order was granted on 2nd November 1927 but the divorce was not finalised until 1940. John moved to Auckland in the 1930s, and was living in Matipo Road, Te Atatu in 1940. John and Elizabeth had two children – George and Janet.

John attended a number of VC reunions including the VC Dinner at the House of Lords, London in 1929, the VC Dinner held for New Zealand VCs at La Scala, Dunedin on 29th January 1956, and the VC Centenary Celebrations in Hyde Park, London on 26th June 1956. Unfortunately, at one function he arrived drunk and collapsed over a table. He later attended a function hosted by Lord Louis Mountbatten, where he insulted Lady Mountbatten, and was evicted from the occasion by Lieutenant General Bernard Freyberg VC. He also attended the 6th VC & GC Association Reunion at the Cafe Royal, London on 19th July 1968, despite being in poor health.

John had moved into Mount Roskill Masonic Retirement Village, Auckland in c.1964 and died there of congestive heart failure on 25th November 1970. He was buried in Waikumete Cemetery, Glen Eden, Auckland. He is commemorated with Grant VC Street in Hawera, a statue in the VC Gardens, Hawera, with Grant Barracks near Palmerston North, a plaque on the Wall of Remembrance in Waikumete Memorial Park, on the VC memorial at the HQ of the Dunedin Branch of the Returned Services Association. He also has a VC commemorative stone at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire.

In addition to the VC, he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19, George VI Coronation Medal 1937, and Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953. The VC was presented to the nation by his family, but his children disagreed on where it should be held. It is therefore held at the National Army Museum, Waiouru, alternating every two years with Puke Ariki (Taranaki Museum). In December 2007, his medals were amongst the 96 stolen from the National Army Museum. Following a reward put up by Lord Ashcroft and Tom Sturgess, the medals were recovered in February 2008 and the medals returned to the Museum.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: NATIONAL ARMY MEMORIAL MUSEUM, WAIOURU, NEW ZEALAND.

BURIAL PLACE: GOLDERS CEMETERY, WAIKUMETE, NEW ZEALAND.

BLOCK M, SECTION 9, PLOT 95