John Bernard Croak VC (May 18, 1892 – August 8, 1918) was a soldier in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and posthumous recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. He earned the award for events that occurred during the Battle of Amiens in August 1918. A park and elementary school was named in his memory at

Glace Bay, Nova Scotia Glace Bay (Scottish Gaelic: ''Glasbaidh'') is a community in the eastern part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It forms part of the general area referred to as Industrial Cape Breton. Formerly an incorporated t ...

Early life

Croak was born in

Little Bay Little Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Little Bay is located 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Randwic ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, on May 18, 1892 to James and Cecelia Croak. The family moved to

when Croak was two years old. He attended school there and then, at the age of 14, began work as a coal miner.

First World War

In 1915, Croak enlisted in the Canadian Army and volunteered for service abroad with the

. Posted to the 55th Battalion as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, he embarked for Europe in November 1915. He soon transferred to the 13th Battalion, which was serving on the Western Front as part of 3rd Brigade,

1st Canadian Division The 1st Canadian Division (French: ''1re Division du Canada'' ) is a joint operational command and control formation based at CFB Kingston, and falls under Canadian Joint Operations Command. It is a high-readiness unit, able to move on very short ...

. Through 1917 and the early part of 1918, Croak participated in several engagements as part of 13th Battalion; these included the Battles of Vimy Ridge,

Hill 70 The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France b ...

and Passchendaele. On 8 August 1918, the opening day of the Battle of Amiens, and the beginning of the

Hundred Days Offensive The Hundred Days Offensive (8 August to 11 November 1918) was a series of massive Allies of World War I, Allied offensives that ended the First World War. Beginning with the Battle of Amiens (1918), Battle of Amiens (8–12 August) on the Wester ...

, the 3rd Brigade, accompanied by a battalion of tanks, was at the forefront of the 1st Division's advance. The 13th Battalion became held up by machine gun posts in the vicinity of

Hangard Wood Hangard Wood is a locality south of Villers-Bretonneux northern France. It was the site of Hangard village and a battle in World War I. The battle of Hangard Wood was part of the German offensive Operation Michael, in the Arras - St-Quentin-La Fé ...

. Croak attacked a machine gun post and took several prisoners whom he escorted to his company headquarters. Ignoring instructions to seek medical treatment for a wound to his arm, he carried out an attack on another machine gun post nearby. He was wounded again, this time fatally, in the act, and died that same day. He was recognised for his actions with an award of the

(VC). The VC, instituted in 1856, was the highest award for valour that could be bestowed on a soldier of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

. The citation for Croak's VC read: Croak is buried at Hangard Wood British Cemetery, which is located 12 miles south west of

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

. His VC, the first to be awarded to a soldier born in Newfoundland, was presented to his mother at Government House in Halifax by

MacCallum Grant MacCallum Grant (May 17, 1845 – February 23, 1928) was a Canadian businessman and the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia. Born at Loyal Hill (in the area of Summerville) in Hants County, Nova Scotia, the son of John Nutting and Margar ...

, the

Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia The lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia () is the viceregal representative in Nova Scotia of the , who operates distinctly within the province but is also shared equally with the ten other jurisdictions of Canada, as well as the other Commonwealt ...

, on 23 November 1918. In Glace Bay, where Croak grew up, there is both a school and a Royal Canadian Legion named in his honor. There is also a park, located on the site of his former workplace, the Dominion No. 2 Colliery, named for him as well. In 1992, the park was the scene of the unveiling of a memorial plaque, made of Cape Breton rock, to Croak.

The medal

In 1972 Croak's medals, which included the British War Medal and the Victory Medal in addition to the VC, were gifted by his nephew to the Army Museum at the

Citadel A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. In ...

in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The medals are now displayed at the

Canadian War Museum The Canadian War Museum (french: link=no, Musée canadien de la guerre; CWM) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history, in a ...

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

* *

External links

John Bernard Croak's digitized service file

Legion Magazine article on John Bernard Croak
*
Croak's Medals at the Canadian War Museum

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croak, John Bernard 1892 births 1918 deaths Canadian military personnel killed in World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers Canadian World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Newfoundland World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at Hangard Wood British Cemetery Canadian military personnel from Newfoundland and Labrador Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada soldiers