Corporal John Bernard 'Jack' Mackey VC (1922 - 1945, 22yo)
Jack Mackey was born on 16 May 1922 in Leichhardt, New South Wales, and worked in his father's bakery after finishing school. Determined to enlist despite being underage, he joined the Australian Imperial Force on 4 June 1940. Assigned to the 2nd/3rd Pioneer Battalion, Mackey served in the Middle East and saw action at El Alamein. Returning to Australia in early 1943, he later deployed to Papua and was promoted to acting Corporal. Recognised by his commander as an exceptional junior leader with both moral and physical courage, Mackey endured several bouts of malaria throughout 1943 and 1944. In April 1945, he took part in the landing on Tarakan Island, Borneo, as part of the Allied campaign.
The citation for his VC read:
Corporal Mackey was in charge of a section of the 2/3rd Australian Pioneer Battalion in the attack on the feature known as Helen, east of Tarakan town. Led by Corporal Mackey the section moved along a narrow spur with scarcely width for more than one man when it came under fire from three well-sited positions near the top of a very steep, razor-backed ridge. The ground fell away almost sheer on each side of the track making it almost impossible to move to a flank so Corporal Mackey led his men forward. He charged the first Light Machine-Gun position but slipped and after wrestling with one enemy, bayoneted him, and charged straight on to the Heavy Machine-Gun which was firing from a bunker position six yards to his right. He rushed this post and killed the crew with grenades. He then jumped back and changing his rifle for a sub-machine-gun he attacked further up the steep slope another Light Machine-Gun position which was firing on his platoon. Whilst charging, he fired his gun and reached with a few feet of the enemy position when he was killed by Light Machine-Gun fire but not before he had killed two more enemy. By his exceptional bravery and complete disregard for his own life, Corporal Mackey was largely responsible for the killing of seven Japanese and the elimination of two machine-gun posts, which enabled his platoon to gain its objective, from which the Company continued to engage the enemy. His fearless action and outstanding courage were an inspiration to the whole battalion.
Initially buried where he fell, Mackey was later reinterred at Labuan War Cemetery. In recognition of his actions, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The medal was received on his behalf by his sister Pat from the Governor-General and was subsequently donated to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.
Private Robert (Bob) Mactier VC (1890 - 1918. 28 yo)
Born on 17 May 1890 in Tatura, Victoria, Robert Mactier spent his early years working on his family's farms in Tatura and Caniambo. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 1 March 1917 and embarked for England with the 19th Reinforcements of the 23rd Battalion.
Joining 'B' Company, Mactier saw combat near Albert on the Somme in April 1918, where he was gassed. By May, he was serving as a scout at Company Headquarters, later taking part in the Battle of Hamel and the Allied offensive in August.
On 1 September 1918, while preparing for the assault on Mont St Quentin, the 23rd Battalion was brought to a halt by a heavily defended German machine-gun post. With little time before the planned attack, Mactier—then serving as the company runner—volunteered to clear the obstacle. Armed only with grenades and a revolver, he advanced alone, destroyed the machine-gun crew, and continued to assault two more enemy positions. As he moved to neutralise a fourth, he was killed in action, reportedly either by enemy fire or the blast of a grenade. His solo actions cleared the path for his battalion’s timely advance and earned him the unit’s only Victoria Cross.
Mactier was initially buried near where he fell, later reinterred at Hem Farm Cemetery, Hem-Monacu. In 1983, his family presented his Victoria Cross to the Australian War Memorial. He is also honoured by the Soldier’s Club at Watsonia Barracks in Melbourne.
Last Reviewed 06/2025
