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A forgotten Canterbury war hero will receive due recognition next March when a bronze statue is unveiled at the Park of Remembrance in Christchurch.
Lincoln carpenter Henry J. Nicholas was the first Canterbury soldier to win the Victoria Cross when he led a charge against a German stronghold in Belgium in 1917.
Private Nicholas was part of a Lewis machine gun section ordered to form a defensive flank that came under heavy fire at Polderhoek on December 3, 1917.
Followed by the rest of his section at an interval of about 25m, Nicholas "rushed forward alone, shot the officer in command of the strongpoint and overcame the remainder of the garrison of 16 by means of bombs and bayonet, capturing four wounded prisoners and a machine gun," according to his citation.
"He captured the strongpoint practically singlehanded and thereby saved many casualties."
Promoted to sergeant in June 1918, Nicholas was awarded the Military Medal in a separate action that year.
Just 19 days before the Armistice, Nicholas was killed in action on October 23, 1918, near the French town of Le Quesnoy, which was subsequently captured from the Germans by New Zealanders.
He is buried in the Vertigneul Churchyard at Romeries in France.
The citation for Nicholas' posthumous VC award, which appeared in the London Gazette of January 8, 1919, reads: "For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty ... His exceptional valour and coolness throughout the operations afforded an inspiring example to all."
While the actions of two other Canterbury VC winners - Charles Upham and Jack Hinton - have long been recognised in memorials, Nicholas' heroism went virtually unnoticed until his three nieces presented his medals to Canterbury Museum.
A bronze statue of Nicholas, commissioned by the Canterbury District Returned and Services Association (RSA) and the Christchurch City Council, will stand in a leafy glade alongside the city's Bridge of Remembrance - an area set aside by the council as a commemorative zone.
Christchurch sculptor Mark Whyte is casting the larger-than-lifesize statue, which will portray Nicholas as a young man in his early 20s returning home in spirit at the moment he sees the Bridge of Remembrance and realises the huge sacrifice NZ soldiers made in wartime.
The 2.5m-high base of the sculpture will contain stone gifted from the town of Le Quesnoy.
"The completion of this significant memorial will remind us of the bravery of Nicholas and the ultimate sacrifice that he and many others have paid to ensure that we have the opportunity to live in peace," Canterbury district RSA president Barry Clark said.
Nicholas' Christchurch niece, Diana Burgess, said it was "wonderful" her uncle's heroism was being recognised in memorial form.
"I'm just sorry my Mum's not here. That would have been lovely."
Mrs Burgess and her sisters, Penelope Montford, of Auckland, and Australian-based Daphne Marshall, gifted Nicholas' medals and other memorabilia to Canterbury Museum in 2002.
She said the move was sparked by terse comments to Mrs Burgess' daughter at a Warbirds over Wanaka show.
"One bloke told her she couldn't have a ride in one of the warplanes unless she was someone special.
"She said 'well my great uncle won the VC' and he called her all the names under the sun, because he didn't believe her.
"So we thought 'right, all the stuff in the bottom drawer has to go to the museum'," Mrs Burgess said.
Her uncle's exploits were rarely mentioned during her childhood, but the family certainly knew he was a hero.
"We had a big photo of him over our bed," she said.
"Occasionally, my mother spoke about him but that was extremely rare."
Nicholas' two brothers also went to war, never to return.
Nicholas was 27 when he was killed on a bridge near the German-held French town of Le Quesnoy when ambushed by a German patrol.
"I look at my children at the age he died, and they were still kids," Mrs Burgess said.
Whyte, who also sculpted the Charles Upham statue in the North Canterbury town of Amberley, said the Nicholas statue had "most certainly" been an interesting commission.
Whyte said he'd swotted up on World War I history and war theatres and had only three photographs of Nicholas to work from.
One was taken before he left Christchurch and two during his military service.
The statue will have him wearing typical uniform of the day, with the New Zealand "lemon-squeezer" hat and gaiters.
- NZPA
