In London
p. 166 · Read in the full issue
Fijian Vc's Brother
The brother of Corporal Sefans Sukanaivalu, Fiji’s only Victoi winner, was amongst t: vc s and their relatives who recenl gathered in London for t' centenary celebrations held in coi nection with this famous award.
Sukanaivalu was a simple Fijia a cook-boy in a Suva hotel befo he joined the Fiji Military Fore in World War 11.
He was sent to Bougainville ai it was during a rearguard action Marawaka that the incident occur< that resulted in the VC beii awarded to him, posthumously.
During the rearguard actio Sefanaia crawled forward to resci men who had been wound a d whe their platoon was ambushed.
After two wounded men had bee successfully recovered, he volunteere to go further along and try 1 rescue another man in spite of tl: mortar and machine-gun fire bi on the way back he himself’ we seriously wounded in the groin an t-high and fell to the ground ur able to move.
Realising that his men would nc leave him as long as they could se he was alive, and, knowing ths they were all in danger of bein killed or captured as long as the remained where they were, he raise himself up in front of the Japanes machine-guns and was riddled wit! bullets.