George Cross (Great Britain)
The George Cross ( George Cross ) is the highest civilian honor for bravery in the United Kingdom and was awarded on September 24, 1940 by the then King George VI. donated. Unlike the purely military Victoria Cross , the award is intended to be given to civilians as well as to military personnel during a state of conflict or war. The award to soldiers takes place regularly when the bravery did not take place in the face of the enemy, which is a criterion for awarding the Victoria Cross.
The support of the award used a suffix ( post-nominals ) "GC". If someone was allowed to use several such post-nominalals , GC always stood in front of everyone else, apart from the Victoria Cross (VC).
Since its foundation, the Georgs-Kreuz has been awarded posthumously in 86 cases and to 73 living people, including 4 women. In addition, the George Cross was awarded twice not to individuals but collectively: in 1942 to the people of Malta for the defense of the island during the Second World War and in 1999 to the Royal Northern Irish Police ( Royal Ulster Constabulary ).
The last awards were made in 2004 to a young soldier of the Blues and Royals ( Household Cavalry Regiment ), who had rescued several of his comrades in the 2003 Iraq war despite heavy fire from allied aircraft ( friendly fire ), and in 2006 to a captain of the Royal Logistic Corps who also trained a bomb disposal team in Iraq, although he had previously been extremely seriously injured in a bomb explosion. The 2007 New Year Honors List announced another award posthumously to Corporal Mark Wright of the Parachute Regiment , who had perished in Afghanistan trying to rescue several other injured soldiers from a minefield. In 2008, he was awarded Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher of the Royal Marines Reserve , who protected comrades in Afghanistan from a booby trap at the risk of his own life .
Medal holders are entitled to an annual grant. This currently (2006) amounts to £ 1,495 in Great Britain.
literature
- Sir John Smyth: The Story of the George Cross . Arthur Baker Ltd., London 1968, ISBN 0-213-76307-9 .
- Peter Duckers: British Gallantry Awards 1855–2000 . Shire Publications, Princes Risborough 2001, ISBN 0-7478-0516-4 ( Shire Album 394).
