Victoria Cross

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Victoria Cross (Canadian version)

The Victoria Cross (Engl. Victoria Cross ) is the highest military decoration of the armed forces of the United Kingdom and some states of the Commonwealth . It is awarded for outstanding valor in the face of the enemy and ranks first in the ranking of orders and decorations of the United Kingdom with the civil George Cross .

history

The Victoria Cross was established by Queen Victoria on January 29, 1856 to honor soldiers who had distinguished themselves during the Crimean War through particular bravery before the enemy or excellent performance of duty. Since its foundation, it can be awarded to all members of the armed forces regardless of rank.

The Victoria Cross is a military honor and is only given to civilians in exceptional cases. British soldiers who are characterized by particular bravery without the immediate presence of an enemy (e.g. defusing mines ) can instead receive the George Cross .

In addition to Great Britain, the Victoria Cross is currently awarded in a number of other Commonwealth countries, the appearance, material and conditions of the award being largely the same as the British. There are the Victoria Cross for Australia , the Canadian Victoria Cross and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand for members of the armed forces of the respective states.

Appearance

Ribbon buckle of the Victoria Cross

On the front of the cross is the British crown with a lion emblazoned above it. Both are framed by a ribbon on which the British, Australian and New Zealand Victoria Crosses read the motto “For Valor” chosen by Queen Victoria, while the Canadian Victoria Cross uses the Latin motto “ Pro Valore ". The name, rank , number and unit of the recipient as well as the date of the deed is engraved on the back. The order's ribbon is burgundy (originally there was also a blue ribbon for members of the Royal Navy , but this was abolished with the establishment of the Royal Air Force ). If a soldier who is already the holder of the Victoria Cross receives this award again, this is indicated on the ribbon by means of an additional clasp ( bar ).

The Victoria Cross is handcrafted by the London jeweler Hancocks & Co , so each medal is unique. According to legend, the design of the order is said to have been designed by Prince Albert himself, but it is more likely that the first executing jewelers designed the design of the Victoria Cross themselves. The renunciation of the valuable materials otherwise often used in military orders is probably modeled on the Iron Cross . According to legend, bronze is used to manufacture the Victoria Cross, which comes from captured Russian weapons from the Crimean War.

Awards

Garnet Wolseley awards the Victoria Cross to John Chard after the Battle of Rorke's Drift

The Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously in a quarter of its awards . In the period between the Crimean War in 1856 and the Falklands War in 1982, it was awarded a total of 1,354 times.

Most of the Victoria Crosses for a single engagement were awarded for the Battle of Rorke's Drift in 1879 . On January 22nd, 1879, 139 British soldiers were able to withstand an attack by approximately 4,000 Zulu in the Zulu War . For this, 11 men were awarded the Victoria Cross. One of them was Corporal Christian Ferdinand Schiess - he received the cross even though he was not a British citizen (he was Swiss but pretended to be South African and enlisted in the British Army).

The only German owners of the Victoria Cross are Charles Wooden and William Johnstone. Charles Wooden VC (March 24, 1829 to April 24, 1876) was honored for his service on October 26, 1854 in the Crimea. William Johnstone VC (August 6, 1823, Hanover – August 20, 1857) attacked Vårdö on August 12, 1854 by a superior group of couriers from the Russian Tsar. Johnstone's nationality is discussed, possibly he came from Sweden and only pretended to be a Hanoverian citizen.

Only three soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross twice: in the First World War , the military doctors Noel Chavasse (1884-1917 fallen) and Arthur Martin-Leake (1874-1953), the Second World War the of New Zealand native infantry officer Charles Upham (1908-1994 ). Two soldiers were with both the Victoria Cross and the highest British order of knights, the Order of the Garter (English: KG "Knight of the Garter"), excellent: Field Marshal Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (VC 1872, KG 1902) and the Governor General of Australia William Sidney, 1st Viscount De L'Isle (VC 1944, KG 1968).

In the second half of the 20th century, the Victoria Cross was awarded to 11 soldiers: 4 received it in the Korean War (1950–1953), 1 in the battle for Malaysia (1965), and 4 Australian soldiers were used with it in the Vietnam War (1965–1975) excellent, and 2 soldiers got it in the Falklands War (1982).

It has been awarded six times since the beginning of the 21st century: one in the Iraq war (2003) and five in the war in Afghanistan , including a Victoria Cross for New Zealand and two Victoria Cross for Australia .

Privileges

As the highest war decoration of the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth of Nations , the Victoria Cross is very prestigious . It takes precedence over all other British dignities - including the Order of the Garter - and is therefore always worn at the forefront of the order buckle .

Holders of the Victoria Cross are allowed to put the letters "VC" (for Victoria Cross ) after their surname . This addition to the name (“ postnominal ”) is also used before all others (e.g. Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts , VC , KG , KP , GCB , OM , GCSI , GCIE , PC ). All holders of the Victoria and George Cross are also entitled to an honorary salary . In 2002 this was GBP 1,495 per year for British soldiers and AUD 3,230 per year for Australian soldiers in 2006 . In the military cemeteries of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission , the gravestones of fallen bearers of the Victoria Cross are marked with a representation of the order. Irrespective of these special rights, some of which are regulated by law, holders of the Victoria Cross are greeted first by all soldiers in the armed forces - regardless of their rank and rank - according to British military tradition.

On important national memorial days with a military connection, the surviving bearers of the Victoria Cross are usually invited as guests of honor , for example to the annual celebrations at the Cenotaph in London or the golden jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

Holder of the Victoria Cross

Awarded in the 21st century

  • Lance Corporal Johnson Beharry of 1st Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment : honored March 18, 2005 for valor in Iraq.
  • Corporal Bryan Budd of the British Parachute Regiment's 3rd Battalion : Posthumously recognized on the 2007 New Year Honors List for valor in Afghanistan. Budd was killed in action against the Taliban in August 2006. He had been assigned to the Pathfinder Platoon , an elite paratrooper unit.
  • Corporal Bill Apiata of the Special Air Service of New Zealand (NZ SAS) : Awarded July 29, 2007 for valor in Afghanistan. In 2004, under heavy fire, he carried a wounded comrade to safety over a distance of 70 meters. Apiata was also the first person to receive the newly created New Zealand version of the Victoria Cross (Victoria Cross for New Zealand) .
  • Trooper Mark Donaldson of the Special Air Service of Australia (Australian SAS) : honored January 16, 2009 for valor in Afghanistan while on patrol with Australian, US and Afghan Special Forces. The patrol was ambushed by the Taliban on September 2, 2008. 29-year-old Donaldson drew fire, which made it possible to rescue wounded soldiers. After the Special Forces evaded, there wasn't enough space for Trooper Donaldson in the vehicles. Under further fire from the Taliban, he also carried a wounded Afghan translator 90 m to safety, provided first aid and continued to fire at the attackers. Donaldson was also the first person to receive the newly created Australian version of the Victoria Cross (Victoria Cross for Australia) .
  • Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith of the Special Air Service of Australia (Australian SAS) : Awarded on January 23, 2011 for a battle in October 2010 near Kandahar.
  • Lance Corporal Joshua Leakey of the British Parachute Regiment : honored on February 26, 2015 for a battle in Afghanistan 2013.

Other known owners

literature

  • PE Abbott, JMA Tamplin: British Gallantry Awards . Nimrod Dix and Co., London 1981, ISBN 0-902633-74-0 .
  • Max Arthur: Symbol of Courage. Men behind the medal . Corrected and updated edition. Pan Books, London 2005, ISBN 0-330-49133-4 .
  • Michael Ashcroft: Victoria Cross Heroes . Headline Book Publishing, London 2006, ISBN 0-7553-1632-0 .
  • Kevin Brazier: The Complete Victoria Cross: A Full Chronological Record of All Holders of Britain's Highest Award for Gallantry. Fully Revised and Updated Paperback Edition. Pen & Sword Military, Barnsley 2015, ISBN 978-1-4738-4351-6 .
  • MJ Crook: The Evolution of the Victoria Cross. A Study in Administrative History . Midas Books, Tunbridge Wells 1975, ISBN 0-85936-041-5 .
  • Peter Duckers: British Gallantry Awards 1855–2000 . Shire Publications Ltd, Princes Risborough 2006, ISBN 0-7478-0516-4 ( Shire Album 394 A Shire Book ).
  • Dennis Pillinger, Anthony Staunton: Victoria Cross presentations and locations . Woden, Maidenhead 2000, ISBN 0-646-39741-9 .
  • Victoria Cross and George Cross Association: The Register of the Victoria Cross . This England Books, Cheltenham 1997, ISBN 0-906324-03-3 .

Web links

Commons : Victoria Cross  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3366790/Oz-SAS-hero-wins-Victoria-Cross.html
  2. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 61154, HMSO, London, February 26, 2015, p. 3466 ( PDF , accessed February 26, 2015, English).
  3. ↑ Victoria Cross: L / Cpl Josh Leakey recognized for valor , BBC online, accessed February 26, 2015