Samuel Forsyth | |
|---|---|
 Sergeant Samuel Forsyth, 1918 | |
| Born | 3 April 1892 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 24 August 1918 (aged 26) † Grévillers, France |
| Buried | Adanac Military Cemetery, France |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Service | New Zealand Military Forces |
| Years of service | 1914–18 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | New Zealand Engineers |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Samuel Forsyth, VC (3 April 1892 – 24 August 1918) was a New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that could be awarded at the time to British and Commonwealth forces.
Born in 1892, Forsyth enlisted with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force shortly after the outbreak of the First World War in the summer of 1914. Serving with the New Zealand Engineers as a sapper, he participated in the Gallipoli Campaign and later fought on the Western Front. By August 1918, he was on probation to become a commissioned officer and was temporarily attached to an infantry battalion. On 24 August 1918, during the Second Battle of Bapaume, he played a key role in eliminating a machine gun nest that was holding up the advance of his battalion, but was then killed by a sniper. For this action, he was posthumously awarded the VC.