[4] He went to school locally, and later worked on his father's properties until he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force at Seymour on 1 March 1917.

Posted to B Company, he fought in all of the battalion's subsequent battles until his death, including at Hamel, the August Offensive and Albert, where he was gassed.

Then, rushing forward about 20 yards, he jumped into another strong point held by a garrison of six men, who immediately surrendered.

It was entirely due to this exceptional valour and determination of Private Mactier that the battalion was able to move on to its "jumping off" trench and carry out the successful operation of capturing the village of Mt.

Mactier was buried nearby at Clery but in 1924, he was reinterred in the Hem Farm Military Cemetery near Péronne, France.

In his home town of Tatura there is a stained glass window in St Andrews Church dedicated to the memory of Mactier and his parents.

[2][4] Mactier's Victoria Cross was presented to the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra by his family in 1983, where it is now on display.

[8] His name is recorded on panel 99 of the Roll of Honour in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial.