Lawrence Dominic McCarthy VC

b. 21/01/1892 York, Western Australia. d. 25/05/1975 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Lawrence Dominic “Fats” McCarthy (1892-1975), was born on 21st January 1892 in York, Western Australia. He was named Florence Joseph McCarthy, but later changed this to Lawrence Dominic McCarthy. To his family and friends he was “Sykes” and in the Army he was “Fats” because of his bulk, or “Mac”. His father, also Florence McCarthy, was from Cork, Ireland. He emigrated to Australia, where he became a station hand. He married Ann “Annie” Sherry at York, where she was born, in 1887. Sadly, Annie died when Lawrence was just three from whooping cough in September 1895. Lawrence had three brothers. He, James and Patrick were all admitted to the Subiaco Boy’s Orphanage, run by the Sisters of Mercy, on 21st January 1896. They were transferred to the Christian Brothers at St Joseph’s Orphanage, Subiaco in 1899, and in 1901 to their new orphanage at Clontarf on the Canning River.

Lawrence left the orphanage on 30th November 1905, having been educated at various Catholic schools in Perth, Western Australia. Lawrence was apprenticed for four years as a farmer to John White of Jennacubbine, near Northam, Western Australia. He subsequently worked as a contractor for Bunning Brothers at a sawmill. Lawrence would lose three fingers in an accident at the mill.

Lawrence is believed to have had an affair with Mabel Grace Thackrah and she became pregnant in May 1914. He sought permission from Mabel’s father, Albert, to marry her. This was refused as he was a Catholic and Albert was not going to allow his Protestant daughter to marry one. Their daughter, Marjorie, born in 1915 was raised by Albert as his eleventh child.

Lawrence D McCarthy VC

Lawrence served in 18th Australian Light Horse for two and a half years before war broke out. He attempted to enlist in the regular forces but was rejected due to the missing fingers on his left hand. Having told the authorities he had won shooting competitions in Northam, he was recruited on 23rd September 1914 at Blackboy Hill Camp, Helena Vale. The Battalion sailed from Melbourne for Egypt aboard HMAT A40 Ceramic on 22nd December and arrived at Alexandria on 3rd February 1915.

The 16th Battalion reached France in June 1916 and took part in heavy fighting around Pozières and Mouquet Farm in August. He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for his actions at Beaumatz, France on 13th February 1917. On 8th March 1917 McCarthy was appointed company sergeant major and on 10th April was commissioned second lieutenant. Next day he was wounded at Bullecourt and evacuated to England, rejoining his unit on 9th July. A lieutenant from 1st November, he received the French Croix de Guerre at Beaumetz two days later. From 31st January 1918 he was posted to the 13th Training Battalion, Tidworth, England, returning to the 16th in time for the offensive of 8th August.

Near Madam Wood, east of Vermandovillers, France, on 23th August 1918 McCarthy performed what the official war historian rated as ‘perhaps the most effective feat of individual fighting in the history of the A.I.F., next to Jacka’s at Pozières’. The 16th Battalion, with McCarthy commanding ‘D’ Company, had attained its objectives but the battalion on the left was unable to make headway. Accompanied by Sergeant F. J. Robbins, D.C.M., M.M., McCarthy attacked the German machine-gun posts which were preventing its advance. They raced into the enemy trench system, shooting and bombing as they went, destroying three machine-gun positions. When his mate fell wounded, McCarthy pressed on, picking up German bombs as he continued to fight down the trench ‘inflicting heavy casualties’. Coming upon another enemy pocket, he shot two officers and bombed the post until a blood-stained handkerchief signalled the surrender of the forty occupants.

This feat of bravery, which resulted in the award of the Victoria Cross, had an extraordinary conclusion. As the battalion historian records, ‘the prisoners closed in on him from all sides … and patted him on the back!’ In twenty minutes he had killed twenty Germans, taken fifty prisoners and seized 500 yards (460 m) of the German front. This jovial hero believed that there was ‘a V.C. in everybody if given a chance’.

On 21st November 1918 McCarthy was again evacuated, ill, to England. He returned home on 20th December 1919 and his A.I.F. appointment ended on 6th August 1920. In England, on 25th January 1919, he had married Florence (Flossie) Minnie Norville, at Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Their only child Lawrence Norville was killed in action on Bougainville in 1945. He received his VC from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 12th July 1919.

‘Mac’ moved from Western Australia to Victoria in 1926 where he joined the staff of the Sunshine Harvester Works. He remained with the company, mostly as a traveller in the Mallee, until the Depression forced staff reductions in 1934. From 1935 until his retirement in 1969 he was superintendent of the Trustees, Executors & Agency Co. Ltd building, Melbourne.

He attended the V.C. centenary celebrations in London in 1956 and was present at the opening of V.C. Corner at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, in 1964. A most popular, generous and unassuming man, he took a keen interest in community affairs. In 1965, he returned to Gallipoli to mark the 50th anniversary of the landings. Following his retirement in 1969, he and Polly moved to a small house in Mont Albert, Melbourne.

Laurie McCarthy died at Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne, on 25th May 1975 and was cremated with full military honours at Springvale Crematorium, Melbourne, and his ashes interred. He is commemorated on the VC Memorial at Campbell, ACT, with McCarthy Place in Canberra, McCarthy Place in York, Western Australia, a plaque in King’s Park, Perth, McCarthy Street in Wodonga, Victoria, on the VC Memorial at Springvale Botanical Cemetery, on the VC Memorial in Sydney, and a plaque on the VC Recipients Wall at North Bondi War Memorial. He also have a VC commemorative stone at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire.

In addition to his VC he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal 1914-20, Victory Medal 1914-19, George VI Coronation Medal 1937, Elizabeth II Coronation Medal 1953, and the French Croix de Guerre with Bronze Palme. The medals were presented to the Australian War Memorial by his widow and are held in the Hall of Valour.

LOCATION OF MEDAL: AUSTRALIAN WAR MEMORIAL, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA

BURIAL PLACE: SPRINGVALE CEMETERY, SPRINGVALE, AUSTRALIA. (SECTION C PLOT 015)