Victoria Cross for Australia

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Victoria Cross for Australia
File:Victoria Cross Medal Ribbon & Bar.jpg
Obverse of the medal and ribbon. Ribbon: 32mm, crimson
TypeMilitary decoration
EligibilityAustralian military personnel
StatusCurrently awarded.
Established15 January 1991
Precedence
Next (lower)Star of Gallantry

The Victoria Cross for Australia (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy"[1] to members of the Australia Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service, and to civilians under military command. Being the highest award in the Australian Honours Order of Precedence, the Victoria Cross for Australia takes precedence over all other postnominals and Australian orders and decorations.

The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted by letters patent in 1991, and, within the Commonwealth of Australia and Territories, it replaces the Victoria Cross as instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856, initially to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. As of October 2007, the Victoria Cross for Australia has never been awarded. When such an award is made, the presentation will be presided over by the Governor-General of Australia who will award the medal during an investiture. As with the awarding of the previous honour, the recipient is entitled to an annuity paid by the Government, currently AU$3,230 per year.

The original Victoria Cross (VC) was awarded to 96 Australians. The medal itself was traditionally made from the gunmetal of weapons supposedly captured at the siege of Sevastopol, but several historians have since questioned the true origin of the gunmetal. Because of its rarity and inherent significance, the VC is highly prized, both as an award and as a collector's item, one medal being sold for over AU$1 million at auction.

History

Original medal

On 29 January 1856 Queen Victoria signed the Royal Warrant that officially instituted the Victoria Cross. The Warrant was backdated to 1854 to recognise acts of valour committed during the Crimean War.[2] It was originally intended that the VCs would be cast from the bronze cascabels of two cannons that were captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol.[3][4][5] However, historian John Glanfield has proven, through the use of X-rays of older Victoria Crosses, that the metal used for VCs is in fact from antique Chinese guns, and not of Russian origin.[6][4][5]

The barrels of the cannon used to cast the medals are stationed outside the Officers' Mess, at the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich. The remaining portion of the only remaining cascabel, weighing 10 kilograms (358 oz), is stored in a vault maintained 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, established in 1849, has been responsible for the production of every VC since its inception.[7] Both the Australian and New Zealand Victoria Crosses are to be made from the same gunmetal as the originals.[8]

The original medal was awarded to 96 Australians. Ninety of these were received for actions whilst serving with Australian units. Six were received for actions whilst serving with other units. The majority of the awards were for action in the First World War, when a total of 64 medals were awarded. Nine of these awards were for action during the Gallipoli Campaign. Twenty medals were awarded for action in the Second World War, and the other medals were for action in the Boer War, Russian Civil War and in the Vietnam War. The last recipient was Warrant Officer Keith Payne, for gallantry during the Vietnam War on 24 May 1969. Payne was awarded the medal for instigating a rescue of more than forty men.[1]

Separate Commonwealth awards

In the last 20 years several Commonwealth countries have introduced their own honours systems, separate from the British Honours System. Australia, Canada and New Zealand[8] 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 the Victoria Cross as their highest decoration for valour.[9]

With the issuing of Letters Patent, on 15 January 1991, the Victoria Cross for Australia became the first Commonwealth nation to institute a separate Victoria Cross award in its own honours system. Although it is a separate award, its appearance is identical to its British counterpart.[10] Canada followed suit when in 1993, Queen Elizabeth signed Letters Patent creating the Canadian VC. The Canadian version has a different inscription, as well as being created from a different unspecified metal. The legend has been changed from FOR VALOUR to the Latin PRO VALORE.[11] New Zealand created its own VC in 1999 identical to the Australian and British VCs[8] and this has been awarded once, on 2 July 2007.[12]

Appearance

The Victoria Cross for Australia is identical to the original design. The decoration is a cross pattée, 41 millimetres high, 36 millimetres wide, bearing a crown surmounted by a lion, and the inscription FOR VALOUR.[13] The inscription 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.[4] The decoration, suspension bar, and link, weigh about 27 grams (0.87 troy ounces).[14]

The cross is suspended by a ring from a seriffed "V" to a bar ornamented with laurel leaves, through which the ribbon passes. The reverse of the suspension bar is engraved with the recipient's name, rank, number and unit.[15] On the reverse of the medal is a circular panel, on which the date of the act for which it was awarded is engraved in the centre.[15] The ribbon is crimson, 38 millimetres (1.5 inches) wide. Although the warrants state the colour as being red, it is defined by most commentators as being crimson or "wine-red".[16]

Awarding the medal

The Australian War Memorial which currently holds 61 VCs.

The Victoria Cross for Australia is awarded for

"... most conspicuous gallantry, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy or belligerents."[1]

The original Victoria Cross was awarded to 96 Australians. Ninety received the Victoria Cross while serving with Australian units, and six while serving with other units. These awards were for action in six separate conflicts, with 64 for action in the First World War. As of 2 July 2007, the Victoria Cross for Australia has not been awarded. Awards will be granted by the Governor-General with the approval of the Sovereign. As with the Victoria Cross, any recommendation will pass through the military hierarchy to the Minister for Defence.[1]

An attempt was made by a member of the Australian Senate, Chris Schacht, to have three members of the Australian armed forces awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia.[17] The awards were to be made posthumously for actions in the Second World War. This was part of a campaign by the leader of the opposition Australian Labor Party, Kim Beazley, to have more rights for veterans.[18]

The Australian Government pays the Victoria Cross Allowance to any service person awarded the medal, and currently provides the two surviving Australian recipients with this allowance under Section 103, Subsection (4), of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986.[19] In January 2006 the amount was $3,230 per year, indexed annually in line with Australian Consumer Price Index increases.[20] This amount is in addition to any amount that the veteran may be awarded under the general decoration allowance.[21]

The medal itself is inherently valuable, as was highlighted on 24 July 2006, when at the auctionhouse Bonhams in Sydney, the VC, which had been awarded to WWI soldier Captain Alfred Shout, fetched a world-record hammer price of AU$1 million. Shout had been 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.[22] The Australian War Memorial in Canberra currently holds 61 VCs awarded to Australians and this is the largest public collection in the world.[23]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e "Victoria Cross for Australia" (PDF). Australian Government. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
  2. ^ Ashcroft, Michael, p.7–10
  3. ^ Beharry, Johnson, p.359
  4. ^ a b c "150 years of the Victoria Cross". Royal Naval Museum. Retrieved 2007-06-18.
  5. ^ a b "Hancocks of London History of VC". Hancocks of London. Retrieved 2007-06-24.
  6. ^ Davies, Catronia (2005-12-28). "Author explodes myth of the gunmetal VC". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
  7. ^ "Hancocks Jewellers". Hancocks of London. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
  8. ^ a b c "New Zealand Honours". Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 2007-01-30.
  9. ^ "Order of Precedence for Commonwealth Orders and Decorations". London Gazette. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  10. ^ "The Victoria Cross for Australia". The Government of Australia. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  11. ^ CTV.ca (2007-03-03). "Top military honour now cast in Canada". CTV news. Retrieved 2007-06-24. {{cite news}}: Text "first News staff" ignored (help)
  12. ^ "Willie Apiata receives his VC". NZ Herald. 2007-07-26. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
  13. ^ Original Warrant, Clause 1: Firstly. It is ordained that the distinction shall be styled and designated "The Victoria Cross", and shall consist of a Maltese cross of bronze, with our Royal crest in the centre, and underneath with an escroll bearing the inscription "For Valour".
  14. ^ Ashcroft, Michael, p.16
  15. ^ a b "The Victoria Cross". Vietnam Veterans Of Australia. Retrieved 2007-06-15.
  16. ^ "The Victoria Cross". Imperial War Museum Exhibits and Firearms Collections. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
  17. ^ "Award of Victoria Cross for Australia Bill 2001, First Reading". Commonwealth of Australia Law (COMLAW). Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  18. ^ "Kim Beazley's plans for veterans" (PDF). Australian Labor Party. 2001. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
  19. ^ "Veteran's Entitlement Act 1986". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
  20. ^ Australian Veteran's Entitlement Act 1986, Clause 103, Victoria Cross allowance granted to a veteran under this section is payable at the rate of $3,230 per year. The amount fixed by this subsection is indexed annually in line with CPI increases., "Veteran's Entitlement Act 1986, Clause 198a,". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  21. ^ "Veteran's Entitlement Act 1986, Section 102". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  22. ^ "Gallipoli VC medal sets auction record". The Age. 2006-07-24. Retrieved 2007-11-02.
  23. ^ Australian War Memorial "List of Australian Victoria Cross". Australian War memorial. Retrieved 2007-06-17. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

References

Further reading

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