Wanganui Collegiate School ceremony acknowledges war veteran in the lead up to Anzac Day

Wanganui Collegiate School headmaster Wayne Brown and chairman of the WCS Museum Trust Richard Bourne with the replica medals. Photo/ Supplied

A Victoria Cross winner, who passed away in 1969, is being honoured and remembered by his old school.

Wanganui Collegiate has been gifted several replica medals, including the coveted Victoria Cross, that were won by Leslie Wilton Andrew, and are now on display at the school.

"The presentation of medals was made as a reminder to the importance that WCS played in the wars and to the importance of our Anzac service," school spokeswoman Lindsey Robinson said.

"Overall, the history of Collegiate and our old boys and girls is ingrained into our curriculum through services and history lessons - the traditions that WCS continues, so this was just an added addition."

At the time of his passing in 1969, Leslie Wilton Andrew was retired and was a recipient of The Victoria Cross. Photo / Supplied

Leslie Wilton Andrew was born in Whanganui on March 23, 1897.

He joined the New Zealand Army in 1915 at 18 years old and like many young men at the time he lied in his application, saying that he was 20 so he was able to serve overseas.

In late July of 1917, New Zealand troops had captured a tiny village called La Basse Ville, which was southwest of Messines, however, they suffered serious casualties due to German machine gun fire from a two-storey inn.

On July 31, an attack was launched, with then Corporal Leslie Andrew leading two sections that had orders to destroy the machine gun position.

En route to their location, they discovered another machine gun was holding up NZ troops, so they diverted, captured it and then continued on to their original target - which they captured with Corporal Andrew's approach of direction, grenades and gunfire.

"For his part in the attack, at the age of 20, Leslie Wilton Andrew was awarded the highest award – The Victoria Cross," Mr Bourne said.

The machine gun that was captured was on display on the day of the presentation, brought in by the team at the Whanganui Regional Museum.

It was sent back as a trophy by Leslie Wilton Andrew's commanding officer, Colonel William Henry Cunningham, who was also a Collegiate old boy.

Leslie Wilton Andrew later served in World War II and he was promoted to brigadier before retiring in 1952.

He was laid to rest at Levin RSA cemetery and his original medals are on display in the Waiouru Army Museum.