Bruce Steel Kingsbury was an Australian soldier who was awarded the ‘Victoria Cross’ (VC), for his gallant actions during the ‘Battle of Isurava’ in the Second World War. He was the first serviceman to receive the VC for actions in Australian territory. The war in Europe had compelled him to enlist in the “Australian Imperial Force” along with his boyhood friend Allan Avery. Initially serving in the Middle East, he later joined Australian troops fighting the Japanese in Papua New Guinea and became instrumental in demonstrating that the Japanese could, in fact, be defeated. His bravery served as the inspiration to his fellow troops who followed his lead and continued to resist the Japanese opposition. As a member of the 2/14th Infantry Battalion, his participated in many campaigns, namely. the ‘North African Campaign’, the ‘Syria-Lebanon Campaign’, the ‘Battle of Jezzine’, the ‘South West Pacific Theatre’, and his final battle at Isurava. His death, in the arms of his friend, can only be described as poetic. For a young man of 24, to display such remarkable bravery in the face of the enemy is a story that will live on forever.