Neville Howse Australia's First Victoria Cross M B Tyquin

Neville Reginald Howse was the first soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross while serving in an Australian unit. A doctor in the Boer War and World War I, he was famous for his willingness to risk his own life to save others. He was also a gifted administrator who oversaw the complete overhaul of Australia's medical services in the 1920s. Later that decade he was elected to federal Parliament, where he eventually served in a number of key Cabinet posts. An influential legislator and fierce nationalist, he remains little known today.