Memorial Walk CBD Secondary teacher resource.pdf

11 ADELAIDE TOWN HALL
Background Information
Time to Allow: 10 minutes.
Roy Inwood was born at North Adelaide, South Australia on the 15 July 1890. Educated at
North Adelaide Public School and Broken Hill Model School, he worked as a miner prior to
enlisting in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) on 24 August 1914. Roy Inwood's two
brothers also served in the AIF, with Robert being killed at Pozieres on the 24 July 1916 and
Harold being wounded in France before returning to Australia in 1917. Roy served with the
South Australian 10 th Battalion at Gallipoli before moving to France with the battalion in
1916.
It was on the morning of 20 September 1917, when the 10 th attacked Polygon Wood, that Roy
Inwood won his Victoria Cross. Roy went out alone to gain control of an enemy strongpoint
which he captured. This enabled the battalion to achieve its objective. The following night,
expecting a counter attack, Inwood volunteered to go out 600 metres in front of the line to
report on enemy movements. The attack did not eventuate. The next morning Inwood located
a machine gun that was causing casualties. He crept up behind it, took it out of action and at
the same time captured a prisoner whom he forced to carry his machine gun back to
Australian lines. He returned to Australia on 24 August 1918.
Roy Inwood worked for the Adelaide City Council from 1928 until his retirement in 1955. He
left his Victoria Cross to the 10 th Battalion Ex-Serviceman's Association, who presented it to
the Corporation of the City Of Adelaide on the 19 September 1972. It is displayed in the
council chamber.
Student questions
(1) Where and how did former Adelaide City Council Worker Roy Inwood win his
Victoria Cross (VC) during World War I?
He won his VC at Polygon Wood in France when he went out alone and captured an
enemy strongpoint. The following night he volunteered to go out 600 meters in front
of the Australian line to observe enemy movements. The following night he located
and captured a machine gun forcing the prisoner to carry it back to the Australian
lines.
(2) Australians have won 97 Victoria Crosses. Find out more about the history of the
Victoria Cross including the metal from which the crosses are made and make
some notes below.
Instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856 the Victoria Cross is highly prized and has
evolved into the supreme decoration for gallantry in battle awarded to members of
Commonwealth forces for the last 130 years.
The cross itself is cast from gun metal taken from two Russian bronze muzzle-loading
cannons allegedly captured by the British during the Crimean War (1853 to 1856).
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