Who is awarded the victoria cross

It is awarded to persons who, in the presence of the enemy, display the most conspicuous gallantry; a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice; or extreme devotion to duty.

The Victoria Cross was created by Queen Victoria in and made retrospective to to cover the period of the Crimean War. Australians were eligible for the Victoria Cross and other awards under the Imperial system of honours, until the Victoria Cross was instituted in the Australian honours system by Letters Patent on 15 January A subsequent award of the Victoria Cross to the same person is made as a bar to the Cross. They are also entitled to the post-nominal VC and Bar.

There is sufficient metal for a number of new medals to be cast from these cannons. More recent research however, reveals the medals to be made from metal of Chinese origin, possibly from captured Chinese weapons that the Russians reused at Sebastopol. The most recent being presented to Private Johnson Beharry for actions in Iraq. In , when exposed to ferocious enemy fire, Private Beharry steered his own Warrior armoured vehicle away from an ambush, leading five other Warriors to safety.

Beharry suffered a head injury as a result. Returning to duty the following month, he again suffered a serious head injury whilst reversing his Warrior out of yet another ambush. In addition to saving his own life, Private Beharry undoubtedly saved the lives of his injured commander and the other crew members of the Warrior. As well as in Britain, the Victoria Cross remains the highest military honour for valour in the Commonwealth countries of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The story of Cecil Rhodes, empire builder and founder of the colonies of Southern and Northern Rhodesia. The British 'Tommy' is a term used and recognised all around the world. But who was the original 'Tommy Atkins' How to look for records of Victoria Cross registers How can I view the records covered in this guide?

View Online How many are online? None Some All. Order copies We do not provide copies of online records — please download to view. Visit us in Kew Visit us in Kew to see original documents or view online records for free. Pay for research Consider paying for research. What are these records? What information do the records contain?

The Victoria Cross registers may contain information about: when the award was made by whom and to whom the award was made if it was a posthumous award The registers are heavily annotated.

How do I search the records? You do not need to fill out every field to search these records. Details of individual: First name. Last name. What do the records look like?