Richard Charles Travis, VC, DCM, MM (born Dickson Cornelius Savage; 6 April 1884 – 25 July 1918) was a New Zealand soldier who fought during the First World War and was posthumously decorated with the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Commonwealth forces.

Born in Ōpōtiki, Travis worked as a farm hand and horse breaker and, as a young man, led a transient existence after leaving home at the age of 21.

He was later sent to France where he fought in the trenches along the Western Front, earning a reputation as scout and sniper and receiving awards for his gallantry.

On 24 July 1918, he carried out a reconnaissance into "no man's land" prior to an attack by his battalion, destroying a wire obstacle that may have slowed progress for the advancing troops.

[6] Amid claims of impropriety with a local woman he moved on and, seeking a clean break, he changed his name to Richard Charles Travis.

[7] His stature of 5 feet 6 inches (1.68 m) and weight 133 pounds (60 kg), with "a fresh complexion, blue eyes and fair hair", belied his military potential.

[9] The Otago Mounted Rifles Regiment (including Travis' Southland Squadron) did not take part in the initial landing; instead they were sent as dismounted reinforcements the following month.

[2] Travis, who was part of the transport section and had responsibility for breaking in new horses,[10] was not scheduled to proceed with the rest of the Southland Mounted Rifles Squadron.

[11] Nevertheless, exhibiting the same disregard for discipline that had gotten him in trouble earlier in his life, he stowed away upon the squadron's transport and joined them on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Nevertheless, in October he was later able join up with the Southland Squadron as it rested on Lemnos after the Battle of Sari Bair[13] before returning to Gallipoli to take part in the final month of the campaign before the Allied forces were evacuated in December 1915.

[2] After the 2nd Battalion entered the line near Armentières,[12] Travis began conducting scouting missions at night into "no man's land" to gather intelligence on German positions and help in mapping the front.

[23] As a leader he was said to have a casual approach towards things such as dress and military protocol, however, he was resourceful, had a well-developed understanding of enemy courses of action and had a penchant for detailed planning.

Prior to stepping off, Travis crossed "no man's land" in daylight and destroyed a wire obstacle that threatened to block the path of the battalion's advance.

Later, after the attack had been checked by heavy fire from a number of machine gun positions, seeing the danger, Travis approached two weapons pits alone and killed their occupants.

Before zero hour, in broad daylight and in close proximity to enemy posts he crawled out and successfully destroyed the block with bombs, thus enabling the attacking parties to pass through.

[17] Travis is remembered by a memorial at Ryal Bush, where he was living at the time of his enlistment in the NZEF, and by a plaque in Queen's Gardens in Dunedin.