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Victoria Cross

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Victoria Cross
File:VictoriaCrossObv.jpg
Obverse of the medal and ribbon. Ribbon: 32mm, crimson (blue ribbon for naval awards 1856-1918).
TypeMilitary decoration
DescriptionHeight 41mm, max. width 36mm; (Obverse) bronze cross pattée with lion standant gardant on Royal crown, with the words FOR VALOUR on semi-circular scroll; (Reverse) circular panel on which is inscribed the date of the act for which the decoration was awarded. A 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.
EligibilitySome British Empire/Commonwealth and allied personnel. (Eligibility has varied over time.)
StatusCurrently awarded.
Established29 January 1856
Precedence
EquivalentGeorge Cross
Next (lower)Conspicuous Gallantry Cross
File:Victoria Cross Medal Ribbon & Bar.jpg
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 armed forces of some Commonwealth countries — and before them some British Empire personnel. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service, and civilians under military command. The Victoria Cross was introduced in 1856 and has been awarded 1,356 times.

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.[citation needed] 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.[2]

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. The first award ceremony was on 26 June 1857.

It is widely believed that all VCs are cast from the bronze cascabels of two cannons of Chinese origin that were captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol, except those made during the First World War when metal captured from Chinese guns 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 to really come from the Sevastopol guns.[3] 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. This VC is not counted in any official records.

Awards

A total of 1,356 Victoria Crosses have been awarded since 1856. This figure is made up of 1,352 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 Honor.)

Originally, the VC could not be awarded posthumously, and could not be awarded to Indian or African troops (although it could be awarded to their European officers). Colonial troops were not eligible for the VC during the New Zealand land wars, so the New Zealand Cross (1869) was created. One colonial soldier, Major Charles Heaphy was awarded the VC for his actions in 1864, as he was under British command.

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).

Victoria Cross as it appears on Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones.

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 13 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, one in the Iraq War in 2004, and one in the Afghanistan War in 2006.

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.

New Zealander, Flying Officer Lloyd Trigg, has the distinction of being the only serviceman ever awarded a VC 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 Roope was also awarded a VC on recommendation of the enemy, the captain of the Admiral Hipper, but there were also numerous surviving Allied witnesses to corroborate his actions.

An Irishman, Surgeon General William Manley, remains the sole recipient of both the Victoria Cross, for his actions during the Waikato-Hauhau Maori War, New Zealand on 29 April 1864, and the Iron Cross, for tending the wounded during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71.

File:Victoriacrosscanadapostagestampimage.jpg
The Imperial and Canadian Victoria Cross featured on Canadian postage stamps. The stamp on the right also contains a facsimile of words handwritten by Queen Elizabeth II which read: "Approved", followed by Her Majesty´s Royal Sign Manual "Elizabeth R"

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 fewer 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 VC 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 the Latin PRO VALORE.

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.[4]. As of 2006, none of these VCs has been awarded, although a Canadian version has been cast and is expected to be awarded in April, 2007.[5]

Awards of the Victoria Cross are always announced in the pages of the London Gazette. There is a widespread erroneous myth that "all ranks salute a bearer of the Victoria Cross." In fact, no such a requirement appears in the official Warrant of the VC, nor in Queen's Regulations & Orders [QROs.] Like every other serving member of Commonwealth Armed Forces, wearers of the VC are required only to be saluted by persons of lower rank than themselves.

Victoria Cross in the 21st century

In March 2002, it was widely reported in the media that the VC was to be awarded to an unnamed Regimental Sergeant-Major in the SAS for his involvement in fighting in the Tora Bora cave complex in November 2001. There was some debate over whether he should be named 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 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.[6] 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 Beharry of the 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment became the first recipient of the VC since Sergeant Ian McKay in 1982. Beharry was cited for "valour of the highest order" during the Iraq War.

In August 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.[7]

On 14 December 2006 the MoD announced the award of a posthumous VC to Corporal Bryan Budd of 3PARA, for two separate acts of "inspirational leadership and the greatest valour" which led to his death, during actions against the Taliban in Afghanistan in July and August 2006.[8]

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 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.[9] 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.[10] Several VCs have been stolen, and being valuable have been placed on the Interpol watch-list for stolen items.[11]

The VC awarded to Milton Gregg, which was donated to the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum in London, Ontario Canada in 1979, was stolen on Canada Day, (1 July 1980), when the museum was overcrowded[12], and has been missing since. A VC awarded in 1917 to Corporal Filip Konowal,[13] a Canadian soldier, was stolen from the same museum in 1973 and was not recovered until 2004.[14]

Other

Major David V. Currie accepting the surrender of German troops at St. Lambert-sur-Dives, France, 19 August 1944. This photo captures the actions that would lead to him being awarded the Victoria Cross.

There is a famous picture, held by the National Archives of Canada, of Major David Vivian Currie, of the South Alberta Regiment, in the moments after the battle at St. Lambert-sur-Dives (between 18 August - 20 August 1944.) He stands, with pistol in hand and talking to a soldier next to him, supervising the surrender of the Germans. Two Germans, one a senior officer, approach a Canadian enlisted solider with hands raised. This photo is, in part, capturing the very moment and actions that would lead to Major Currie being awarded the Victoria Cross.[15]

Official collections

In the UK

Museums with significant VC holdings in the UK include:[16]

National museums

RAF

Army

Outside the UK

Australia

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.[17] 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. Australian VC recipients are also remembered on the highways and roads linking Sydney and Canberra, collectively called the Remembrance Driveway.[18] Rest areas along the Driveway have been renamed in honour of different VC recipients.

Canada

The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa holds several Victoria Crosses awarded to Canadians and Newfoundlanders.

New Zealand

The Army Museum at Waiouru, New Zealand in the middle of the North Island has 11 VCs on display in the Valour Alcove of the Lower Gallery.[19]

Private collections

  • British businessman and politician Lord 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.[20]

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ "Military Honours and Awards". Defence Internet. UK Ministry of Defence. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  2. ^ "The Victoria Cross". Imperial War Museum Exhibits and Firearms Collections. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  3. ^ "Author explodes myth of the gunmetal VC". The Telegraph. 2005-12-28. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  4. ^ "New Zealand Honours". Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  5. ^ "'Top honour' now cast in Canada".
  6. ^ "Rail posters tell bravery stories". BBC News. 2004-11-08. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  7. ^ "Gallipoli VC medal sets auction record". The Age. 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  8. ^ Operational Honours: VC and GC for acts of exceptional valour MOD press release, 14 December 2006.
  9. ^ http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/vea1986261/
  10. ^ Victoria Cross.org.uk
  11. ^ http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/aastolen.htm
  12. ^ "Victoria Cross: Theft of the VC"
  13. ^ http://www.infoukes.com/history/konowal/
  14. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/08/23/victoria040823.html
  15. ^ Library and Archives Canada photo with description of David Currie's actions re: the Victoria Cross.
  16. ^ [http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ccregmus.htm
  17. ^ Australian War Memorial
  18. ^ "Remembrance Driveway".
  19. ^ http://www.armymuseum.co.nz/whats-on/galleries/lower-gallery.html
  20. ^ Victoria Cross.org.uk
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