 On 1 September 1918 , Towner was in command of No. 3 Section of the 7th Machine Gun Company during an attack on Mont St. Quentin , near Péronne . Armed with four Vickers machine guns , the section was attached to the right flank of the 24th Australian Infantry Battalion , whose principal objective was to seize the summit of Mont St. Quentin . To accomplish this , the battalion would have to advance through the village of Feuillaucourt before moving down to the Péronne road . The Australians began their advance at 06 : 00 behind an artillery screen , with Towner 's section covering a front of 1 @,@ 400 metres ( 1 @,@ 500 yd ) . Visibility was limited by rain , and Australian casualties soon began to mount . Locating a German machine gun that was causing heavy losses among the advancing troops , Towner rushed the position and single @-@ handedly killed the crew with his revolver . Having captured the gun , he then turned it on the Germans . 
