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Victoria Cross

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Military History and War

   Victoria Cross
   Obverse of the medal and ribbon. Ribbon: 32mm, crimson (blue ribbon for
   naval awards 1856-1918).
   Awarded by United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
   Type Military decoration.
   Eligibility British, (formerly) Commonwealth, and allied forces..
   Awarded for "... most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or
   pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to
   duty in the presence of the enemy."
   Status Currently awarded.
   Description Height 41mm, max. width 36mm; (Obverse) bronze cross pattée
   with lion standant gardant on Royal crown, with the words "FOR VALOUR"
   on semi-circular scross; (Reverse) circular panel on which is inscribed
   the date of the act for which the decoration was awarded. Cross
   suspended by a ring from a seriffed 'V' to a bar ornamented with laurel
   leaves, through which the ribbon passes. Reverse of suspension bar
   engraved with name, rank and ship, regiment or squadron of recipient.
   Statistics
   Established 29 January 1856
   Total awarded 1,355
   Precedence
   Next lowest (for gallantry in action) Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
   Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar.
   Enlarge
   Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar.

   The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest recognition for valour "in the
   face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and
   Commonwealth armed forces of any rank in any service, and civilians
   under military command. It is also the highest military award in the
   British Honours system.

   The decoration is a cross pattée, 1.375 inches (35 mm) wide, bearing a
   crown surmounted by a lion, and the inscription "FOR VALOUR". This was
   originally to have been "FOR BRAVERY", until it was changed on the
   recommendation of Queen Victoria, who thought some might erroneously
   consider that only the recipients of the VC were brave in battle. The
   decoration, suspension bar and link weigh about 0.87 troy ounces
   (27 g).

   The recipient's name, rank, number and unit are engraved on the back of
   the suspension bar, and the date of the act for which it was awarded on
   the back of the cross.

   The ribbon is crimson, 1.5 inches (38 mm) wide. The original 1856
   specification for the award stated that the ribbon should be red for
   army recipients and blue for naval ones. However the dark blue ribbon
   was abolished with the formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April
   1918, and living recipients of the naval version were required to
   exchange their ribbons for red ones.

Historical background

   The VC was created by Royal Warrant on 29 January 1856, backdated to
   1854 to recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War of 1854-1855.
   The first award ceremony was on 26 June 1857.

   It is widely believed that all VCs are cast from the bronze cascabels
   of two cannon of Chinese origin that were captured from the Russians at
   the siege of Sevastopol, except during the First World War when metal
   from guns captured from the Chinese during the Boxer Rebellion was also
   used. However, a 2006 book on the VC's history by historian John
   Glanfield calls the traditional account into question, arguing that it
   is impossible that the metal used for VCs made before 1914 really does
   come from the Sevastopol guns. Also, the Sevastopol metal went missing
   between 1942 and 1945, when another source of metal was used to make
   five Second World War VCs.

   The barrels of the cannon in question are stationed outside the
   Officers' Mess at the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich. The
   remaining portion of the only remaining cascabel, weighing 358 oz (10
   kg), is stored in a vault by 15 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps at
   Donnington, Telford. It can only be removed under armed guard.

   It is estimated that approximately 80 to 85 more VCs could be cast from
   this source. A single company of jewellers, Hancocks of London, has
   been responsible for the production of every VC awarded since its
   inception.

   In 1856 Queen Victoria laid a Victoria Cross beneath the foundation
   stone of Netley Hospital. When the hospital was demolished in 1966 the
   VC, known as "The Netley VC", was retrieved and is now on display in
   the Army Medical Services Museum, Ash, near Aldershot.

Awards

   A total of 1,355 Victoria Crosses have been awarded since 1856. This
   figure is made up of 1,351 people who have earned the VC, plus three
   bars (awarded to people who receive the decoration a second time), and
   one award in 1921 to the American Unknown Soldier of the First World
   War. (The British Unknown Warrior was reciprocally awarded the US Medal
   of Honour.)

   Originally, the Victoria Cross could not be awarded posthumously, and
   could not be awarded to Indian or African troops (although it could be
   awarded to their European officers). In 1905 it was made available to
   be awarded posthumously. Not until the 20th century was it made
   available to all troops in the service of the Crown (the first Indian
   soldier, Khudadad Khan, received it in 1914).

   The largest number of VCs awarded in a single day was 24 on 16 November
   1857, at the relief of Lucknow. The largest number awarded in a single
   action was 11 at Rorke's Drift on 22 January 1879. The largest number
   of Victoria Crosses awarded in a single conflict was 634 during the
   First World War.

   Since the end of the Second World War the VC has been awarded only 12
   times. Four were awarded during the Korean War, one in the
   Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in 1965, four to Australians in the
   Vietnam War, two during the Falklands War in 1982, and one in the
   Second Gulf War in 2004.

   Only three people have been awarded the Victoria Cross twice: Noel
   Chavasse and Arthur Martin-Leake, both members of The Royal Army
   Medical Corps, and New Zealander Charles Upham. The second award is
   designated by a bar worn on the suspension ribbon of the original
   decoration and this is thus known as a "VC and Bar". Since a small
   cross device is worn on the VC ribbon when worn alone, a recipient of
   the VC and Bar would wear two such crosses on the ribbon.

   Another New Zealander, Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg, has the
   distinction of being the only serviceman ever awarded a Victoria Cross
   on evidence solely provided by the enemy, for an action in which there
   were no surviving Allied witnesses. The recommendation was made by the
   captain of the German U-boat U-468 sunk by Trigg's aircraft.

   Lieutenant-Commander Gerard Broadmead Roope was also awarded a Victoria
   Cross on recommendation of the enemy, the captain of the Admiral
   Hipper, but there were also numerous surviving Allied witnesses to
   corroborate his actions.

   As the VC is awarded for acts of valour "in the face of the enemy", it
   has been suggested by some that the changing nature of warfare will
   result in few VCs being awarded. Only one in ten VC recipients in the
   20th century is said to have survived the action for which they
   received the VC. Following the death of Captain Umrao Singh, the last
   surviving Indian holder of the VC, in November 2005 there are currently
   only twelve surviving holders of the VC – six British, two Australians,
   and four Gurkhas – eight of them for exploits during the Second World
   War.

   The corresponding honour for acts of valour that do not qualify as "in
   the face of the enemy" is the George Cross, which ranks alongside the
   VC.

   Between 1858 and 1881, the Victoria Cross could be awarded for actions
   taken "under circumstances of extreme danger" not in the face of the
   enemy. Six such awards were made during this period - five of them for
   a single incident (a shipwreck off the Andaman Islands in 1867).

   In recent years, several Commonwealth countries have introduced their
   own honours systems, separate from the British Honours System.
   Australia, Canada and New Zealand have each introduced their own
   decorations for gallantry and bravery, replacing British decorations
   such as the Military Cross with their own awards. Most Commonwealth
   countries, however, still recognise some form of the Victoria Cross as
   their highest decoration for valour.

   Australia was the first Commonwealth nation to create its own VC, on 15
   January 1991. Although it is a separate award its appearance is
   identical to its British counterpart. Canada followed suit when in 1993
   Queen Elizabeth signed Letters Patent creating the Canadian VC, which
   is also similar to the British version, except that the legend has been
   changed from "FOR VALOUR" to Latin "PRO VALORE" (it can be seen on the
   Canadian postage stamp on this page, along with the Queen's signature
   creating the Canadian VC).

   New Zealand was the third country to create the VC as part of its own
   honours system. While the New Zealand VC is technically a separate
   award, the decoration is identical to the British design, including
   being cast from the same Crimean War gunmetal as the British VC.. As of
   2006, none of these VCs have been awarded.

   Awards of the Victoria Cross are always announced in the pages of the
   London Gazette.

Victoria Cross after 2000

   In March 2002, it was widely reported in the British media that the VC
   was to be awarded to an unnamed Regimental Sergeant-Major in the 22nd
   Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment, for his involvement in fighting in
   the Tora Bora cave complex in November 2001. There was some debate over
   whether he should be named - a position favoured by the Secretary of
   State for Defence, Geoff Hoon, but a compromise was reached that his
   name, and some specific details of the action, would be withheld from
   the official announcement in the London Gazette. However, this did not
   happen; the VC award was never confirmed, and he and another member of
   the SAS, who had also been discussed as a possible VC recipient, were
   awarded Conspicuous Gallantry Crosses in October 2002 instead.

   In April of 2004 the VC awarded to Sergeant Norman Jackson, RAF, in
   1944, was sold at auction for £235,250.

   In late 2004, Duncan Gordon Boyes VC and nine other recipients were
   publicly celebrated on posters on the Victoria line of the London
   Underground. That same year, a national Victoria Cross and George Cross
   memorial was installed in the Ministry of Defence building on Whitehall
   in London.

   On 18 March 2005, Private Johnson Gideon Beharry of the 1st Battalion,
   Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment became the first recipient of the VC
   since the posthumous award to Sgt Ian McKay, 3rd Battalion, Parachute
   Regiment in 1982. Beharry was cited for "valour of the highest order"
   during the Iraq War. He is included in a list of more than 140 British
   troops awarded honours for roles in Iraq, Afghanistan, Northern
   Ireland, the Balkans, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom and
   Congo.

   In August of 2005, Ernest Alvia ("Smokey") Smith, Canada's last
   surviving VC recipient, died. In November 2005, Umrao Singh, the last
   survivor of India's 40 VC recipients, died.

   On 24 July 2006, an auction at Bonhams in Sydney of the VC awarded to
   Captain Alfred Shout fetched a world record hammer price of $A1
   million. Captain Alfred Shout was awarded the VC posthumously in 1915
   for hand-to-hand combat at the Lone Pine trenches in Gallipoli Turkey.
   The buyer ( Kerry Stokes) has indicated that it will be displayed at
   the Australian War Memorial with the eight other VCs awarded to
   Australians at Gallipoli.

   On 16 October 2006, it was reported in The Sun newspaper that Corporal
   Bryan Budd was being considered for the award of a posthumous VC for
   actions against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The newspaper said that a
   final decision would not be reached until a citation is made early next
   year.

Annuity

   Holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross are entitled to an
   annuity, the amount of which is determined by the awarding government.
   Since 2002, the annuity paid by the British government is £1,495 per
   year. As at January 2005, under the Canadian Gallantry Awards Order,
   members of the Canadian Armed Forces, or people who joined the British
   forces before 31 March 1949 while domiciled in Canada or Newfoundland,
   receive $3,000 per year. The Australian Government provides the two
   surviving Australian recipients a Victoria Cross Allowance under
   Subsection 103.4 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986. In January
   2006 the amount was $A3,230 per year which is indexed annually in line
   with Australian Consumer Price Index increases.

Forfeited VCs

   Until the 1920s, the rules relating to the Victoria Cross allowed for
   the expulsion of a VC recipient from the list of people receiving the
   honour, and the forfeiture of their pension, if they committed
   "discreditable acts". The rules have since been changed to prevent such
   expulsions, and the eight men who lost their VCs were restored to
   official lists. This change in policy was insisted upon by King George
   V and reflected the increasing difficulty in attaining the award. He
   commented that, should a VC recipient later in his life be convicted
   for a capital crime, that individual should still be permitted to wear
   the decoration on the gallows. See the category Victoria Cross
   forfeitures.

Theft of the VC

   Given the rarity of the Victoria Cross and the fact they are rarely
   sold, these decorations are highly prized on the black market. Several
   VCs have been stolen, and being valuable have been placed on the
   Interpol watch-list for stolen items.

   One was the VC awarded to Milton Fowler Gregg, which was donated to the
   Royal Canadian Regiment Museum in London, Ontario Canada in 1979. It
   was stolen on Canada Day, ( July 1, 1980), when the museum was
   overcrowded, and has been missing since. A VC awarded in 1917 to
   Corporal Filip Konowal, a Canadian soldier who had emigrated from
   Ukraine in 1913, was stolen from the same museum in 1973, and was not
   recovered until 2004.

Others

   Uganda Dicator Idi Amin awarded himself the Victoria Cross all with
   many other high level medals and orders

Official collections

In UK

   http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ccregmus.htm gives a list of museums
   with significant VC holdings, including:

National museums

     * Imperial War Museum, Kennington, London
     * Imperial War Museum North, Manchester
     * National Army Museum, Chelsea, London
     * National War Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Castle

Naval museums

     * Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth
     * Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport
     * Royal Marines Museum, Southsea
     * Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton
     * National Maritime Museum, Greenwich

RAF

     * RAF Museum, Hendon

Regimental

Outside UK

   The Victoria Cross Gallery in the Australian War Memorial contains most
   of the VCs awarded to Australians, and 60 VCs in all, the largest such
   publicly held collection in the world. Following the 2006 purchase and
   donation by Kerry Stokes of Capt Shout's medal, the Victoria Cross
   Gallery now has all nine VCs awarded to Australians at Gallipoli.

Unofficial collections

   British businessman and politician Michael Ashcroft has amassed a
   private collection of 142 VCs, which is the largest private collection
   of such medals ever accumulated. A book detailing his collection was
   published in November 2006.

Photo Gallery

   Smokey Smith unveils a Canadian postage stamp in 2004

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Cross"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
