out with a piece of broken handrail from the temporary bridge that the soldier was able to grab and be pulled to safety. All four would have drowned without Sullivan's action. The fusiliers returned fire from the far bank, and suppressed the Bolshevik fire. After the river crossing, some members of the column broke off into smaller groups, but all remaining members made their way back to the British lines at Troitsa about 07:00. Total British casualties during the overall attack were less than 30 killed with over 100 wounded. For his actions on 11 August, Sullivan was recommended for the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to a member of the British armed forces. Two other Australians were awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), second only to the VC, for their actions at the river crossing. British forces successfully evacuated from North Russia by late September, leaving Troitsa by 10 September, and sailing from Archangel on 27 September, with Sullivan having spent 100 days in Russia. On 26 September, Sullivan's VC was formally announced in The London Gazette. The citation read: When told of his award, Sullivan said that his comrades were also worthy of recognition and stated that his VC should be raffled, although the latter did not occur. Return to Australia The Australians arrived in Plymouth on 9 October, and were then sent to a repatriation camp near Winchester. After a rowdy night out on leave following their arrival, a British sergeant tried to get the names of all the miscreants in his notebook. When questioned about his name, Sullivan replied, "Corporal Sullivan VC to you, you pommie bastard". Despite the insubordination, no action was taken against him. Sullivan gave only one interview about his VC exploits, and was modest and unassuming, saying that it was "not much to talk about", and that he had been lucky. He remained reluctant to talk about his VC actions, and became known as the "Shy VC". The NRRF was demobilised upon its return to the UK. Sullivan wished to return to Australia immediately without waiting for his investiture by King George V. He left England on 1 November aboard the troopship Nestor, and travelling the reverse of the route he had followed in 1918, Sullivan returned to Adelaide, the South Australian capital, on 12 December where he was