 Edgar Thomas Towner , VC , MC ( 19 April 1890 – 18 August 1972 ) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest decoration for gallantry " in the face of the enemy " that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces . A lieutenant in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War , Towner was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1918 for his actions during an attack on Mont St. Quentin on the Western Front . 
