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The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration that may be bestowed upon members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces for acts of valour or gallantry performed in the face of the enemy. Within the British honours system and those of many Commonwealth nations it is the highest award a soldier can receive for actions in combat. It was established in 1856 and since then has been awarded 1,356 times; three service personnel have received the award twice.

The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the siege of Sevastopol. Recent research has thrown doubt on this story, suggesting a variety of origins. The original Royal Warrant did not contain a specific clause regarding posthumous awards, although official policy was to not award the VC posthumously. Between 1897 and 1901, several notices were issued in the London Gazette regarding soldiers who would have been awarded the VC had they survived. In a partial reversal of policy in 1902, six of the soldiers mentioned were granted the VC, but not "officially" awarded the medal. In 1907, the posthumous policy was completely reversed and medals were sent to the next of kin of the six officers and men. The Victoria Cross warrant was not officially amended to explicitly allow posthumous awards until 1920 but one quarter of all awards for the First World War were posthumous.

Due to its rarity, the VC is highly prized and the medal has fetched over £400,000 at auction. A number of public and private collections are devoted to the Victoria Cross. The private collection of Lord Ashcroft, amassed since 1986, contains over one-tenth of all VCs awarded. Following a 2008 donation to the Imperial War Museum, the Ashcroft collection went on public display alongside the museum's Victoria and George Cross collection in November 2010. Since 1990, three Commonwealth countries that retain the Queen as head of state have instituted their own versions of the VC. As a result, the original Victoria Cross is sometimes referred to as the "Commonwealth Victoria Cross" or the "Imperial Victoria Cross", to distinguish it from the newer awards.

The British Royal Regiment of Artillery was formed at Woolwich in 1716. Being present at almost every battle the British Army has been involved in, several of its batteries are now named after Victoria Cross actions. J (Sidi Rezegh) Battery Royal Horse Artillery is one of these units, and is named after the Battle of Sidi Rezegh during which Second Lieutenant George Gunn performed the deeds for which he was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

Since its introduction there have been sixty-five awards of the Victoria Cross to artillerymen, awarded for bravery in eight different wars. The first award was during the Crimean War and the last for the Second World War. The recipients include an Indian serving in the Indian Artillery, a member of the Royal Australian Artillery, and sixteen members of the then Bengal or Bombay Armies. The remainder have been from the three branches of the British Royal Artillery: the Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Field Artillery, and the Royal Garrison Artillery. Two artillerymen received the award for actions performed while they were serving with other formations, one in the First World War with the Royal Flying Corps, and one in the Second World War with the British Commandos.

Artillery recipients

References

Footnotes

1. Attached to No.4 Commando.
2. Attached to No. 32 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps.

Citations

1. "Victoria Cross: The Premier Award for Gallantry". Ministry of Defence (UK). Retrieved 15 October 2012.
2. Davies, Catronia (28 December 2005). "Author explodes myth of the gunmetal VC". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
3. "No. 27986". The London Gazette. 15 January 1907. p. 325.
4. Crook, MJ, Chapter 8 pp.68–90
5. "No. 31946". The London Gazette. 18 June 1920. p. 6702.
6. "The Victoria Cross ... awarded to Captain Alfred Shout have been sold at auction". Iain Stewart, Victoria Cross.org. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
7. "Press Release: The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, Extraordinary Heroes". Imperial War Museum. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
8. "Pro Valore: Canada's Victoria Cross" (PDF). National Defence; Government of Canada. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
9. "Victoria Cross for Australia" (PDF). Australian Government. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
10. "Royal Artillery". Ministry of Defence (UK). Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
11. "Battery Histories". Ministry of Defence (UK). Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
12. ^ "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1916. p. 1699.
13. "No. 21971". The London Gazette. 24 February 1887. p. 656.
14. ^ "No. 28985". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 1914. p. 9958.
15. "No. 22324". The London Gazette. 19 June 1860. p. 4032.
16. ^ "No. 22014". The London Gazette. 23 June 1857. p. 2165.
17. "John Campbell". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
18. ^ "No. 24973". The London Gazette. 17 May 1881. p. 2553.
19. "No. 22179". The London Gazette. 3 September 1858. p. 4015.
20. "No. 35360". The London Gazette (Supplement). 25 November 1941. p. 6825.
21. ^ "No. 22131". The London Gazette. 27 April 1858. p. 2051.
22. "No. 24508". The London Gazette. 2 October 1877. p. 5457.
23. ^ "No. 28976". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 November 1914. p. 9374.
24. "Eric Dougall". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
25. ^ "No. 28985". The London Gazette (Supplement). 24 November 1914. pp. 9957–9958.
26. ^ "No. 27205". The London Gazette. 26 June 1900. pp. 3964–3964.
27. "No. 31067". The London Gazette (Supplement). 13 December 1918. p. 14775.
28. "No. 30130". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 1917. p. 5866.
29. ^ "No. 30523". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 February 1918. p. 2004.
30. "No. 35530". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 April 1942. p. 1741.
31. ^ "No. 22212". The London Gazette. 24 December 1958. p. 5516.
32. "No. 21971". The London Gazette. 24 February 1887. p. 655.
33. ^ "No. 22131". The London Gazette. 27 April 1858. p. 2050.
34. "No. 27465". The London Gazette. 15 August 1902. p. 5328.
35. "No. 22601". The London Gazette. 25 February 1862. p. 956.
36. ^ "No. 22896". The London Gazette. 23 September 1864. p. 4552.
37. ^ "No. 22154". The London Gazette. 18 June 1858. p. 2957.
38. "Thomas Maufe". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
39. "No. 22260". The London Gazette. 6 May 1859. p. 1867.
40. ^ "No. 27160". The London Gazette. 2 February 1900. p. 689.
41. "No. 35729". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 October 1942. p. 4323.
42. "No. 29371". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 November 1915. p. 11449.
43. ^ "No. 22248". The London Gazette. 12 April 1859. p. 1483.
44. "No. 28976". The London Gazette. 13 November 1914. p. 9373.
45. "No. 27350". The London Gazette. 30 August 1901. p. 5737.
46. Condell, Diana (1 December 2005). "Obituary Umrao Singh". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
47. "No. 25469". The London Gazette. 12 May 1885. p. 2156.
48. "No. 22065". The London Gazette. 20 November 1857. p. 3920.
49. "No. 22043". The London Gazette. 25 September 1857. p. 3194.
50. "No. 22212". The London Gazette. 24 December 1958. p. 5519.
51. "No. 29202". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 June 1915. p. 6115.

• Crook, M.J. (1975). The Evolution of the Victoria Cross. Midas Books. ISBN 0-85936-041-5.

• Victoria Cross lists
• British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
• Royal Artillery