Edgar Towner

Edgar Towner
Edgar Towner
	Lieutenant Edgar Towner in c. 1920
Birth name	Edgar Thomas Towner
Born	19 April 1890; Blackall, Colony of Queensland
Died	18 August 1972 (aged 82); Longreach, Queensland, Australia
Allegiance	Australia
Service / branch	Australian Imperial Force; Citizen Military Forces
Years of service	1915–1919; 1939–1942
Rank	Major
Battles / wars	First World War Western Front Battle of the Somme; Battle of Pozières; Hundred Days Offensive; Second Battle of the Somme; Battle of Mont St Quentin; ; ; Second World War;
Awards	Victoria Cross; Military Cross; Mentioned in Despatches (2)

Edgar Thomas Towner, VC, MC (19 April 1890 – 18 August 1972) was an Australian grazier, soldier, geographer, and a 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 for his actions on 1 September 1918, during an attack on Mont St Quentin on the Western Front.

Born in Queensland to a farming family, Towner enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in 1915. Posted to the transport section of the 25th Battalion, he served in Egypt until his unit was sent to the Western Front. He then transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion where he was commissioned as a lieutenant and twice mentioned in despatches for his leadership. In June 1918, Towner led a machine gun section in attack near Morlancourt and assisted the infantry in reaching its objectives under heavy fire, for which he was awarded the Military Cross. In September, again commanding a machine gun section, he was involved in the counteroffensive that broke the German lines at Mont St Quentin and Péronne. Fighting for thirty hours after being wounded, his "conspicuous bravery, initiative and devotion to duty" earned him the Victoria Cross, which was presented by King George V in April 1919.

Discharged in August 1919, Towner returned to farming in Queensland. He was appointed a director of the Russleigh Pastoral Company, and briefly re-enlisted for service in the Second World War, when he was promoted to major. A keen geographer, he was awarded the Dr Thomson Foundation Gold Medal in 1956 for his geographical work. Unmarried, he died in 1972 at the age of 82.