JOURNAL ARTICLE

CYRIL BASSETT.

  • Published In: History of War, 2025, n. 150. P. 60 1 of 3

  • Database: Historical Abstracts with Full Text 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Simner, Mark 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on Cyril Royston Guyton Bassett, the first member of the New Zealand armed forces to be awarded the Victoria Cross during World War I, specifically for his actions at the Battle of Chunuk Bair on August 8, 1915. Initially rejected for military service due to his height, Bassett persevered and joined the Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers, participating in the Gallipoli campaign. His bravery in laying telephone wire under heavy enemy fire during a critical moment of the battle earned him the prestigious medal, although he expressed disappointment at being the only New Zealander to receive the Victoria Cross at Gallipoli, feeling that many others deserved similar recognition. After recovering from illness, he continued to serve on the Western Front and returned to New Zealand as a war hero in 1918. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:History of War. 2025/10, Issue 150, p60
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:History
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:2054-376X
  • Accession Number:187740398
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of History of War is the property of Future Publishing Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.