only two men, he pushed forward and surprised fifty Germans near Magny-la-Fosse who subsequently surrendered. At 15:00, he halted his battalion near Joncourt, and sent out patrols which found the town still occupied by enemy forces. The 32nd Battalion responded by withdrawing slightly and strengthening its line. At 17:30, the Germans launched a counter-attack that was repulsed with the assistance of the 31st Battalion, together with some men from the 46th (North Midland) Division. At 07:00 the next day, the 32nd Battalion attacked once more, advancing to a point just north of Etricourt. Under heavy shelling and machine gun fire, they established a line between Joncourt and Etricourt. On 1 October, at 06:00, with a company attached from the 30th Battalion, the 32nd Battalion launched an attack that cut through Joncourt. Leading from the front, Wark dashed forward and silenced machine guns that were causing heavy casualties; this enabled the 5th Division to complete its task of forcing through to the Beaurevoir Line. The full citation for Wark's Victoria Cross appeared in a supplement to the London Gazette on 26 December 1918, reading: The 32nd Battalion was resting and retraining away from the frontline when the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918. On 5 January 1919, Wark was granted leave to the United Kingdom, where he accepted his Victoria Cross from King George V on 13 February. Returning to his unit six days later, Wark was then assigned to the 30th Battalion, and sent back to England in preparation for demobilisation. On 31 May 1919, Wark married writer Phyllis Marquiss Munro at St George's Parish Church, Worthing, Sussex; ten days later, he boarded HT Port Lyttleton to return to Australia, where he was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on 28 September 1919. Two of Wark's brothers also served in the First World War, both in the 56th Battalion; Alexander was a sergeant, and Keith, a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Medal, rose to the rank of lieutenant. Later life On demobilisation Wark resumed business as a quantity surveyor in Sydney, later becoming a principal of Thompson & Wark, quantity surveyors. In June 1920, he was in charge of ten fellow Victoria Cross recipients introduced to the Prince of Wales at Government House, during the latter's visit to Australia. Wark became a respected member of Australian society, holding several honorary public positions, including director of the Royal North Shore