A HISTORY OF THE VICTORIA
CROSS
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 The Victoria Cross was
instituted by Royal Warrant of 29 January 1856, made retrospective to the
autumn of 1854 to cover the Crimean War. Prior to this conflict the
Sovereign had no means for rewarding junior officers and other ranks in the
army and navy for 'signal acts of valour or devotion in the presence of the
enemy'.
There have been various
changes to the conditions for award of the VC since 1856, including assent by
King Edward VII to posthumous awards, the earliest back-dated to 1857 (Ensign
Everard Lisle Phillipps VC, 1st Battalion, 60th Rifles, now part our sister
Regiment - The Royal Green Jackets).
VCs are cast from the
gunmetal of two Chinese cannon captured from the Russians during the Crimean
War. Queen Victoria was intimately involved in the design, which she expressly
wished to be simple and unpretentious. She also chose the motto, 'For Valour'.
1,354 VCs have been
awarded - 1,350 to individuals, three of whom received a bar to their VC, and
one to the American Unknown Warrior of the First World War. 837 VCs have been
awarded to members of the British Army, 119 to the Royal Navy and Royal Marines,
and 32 to the Royal Air Force and Royal Flying Corps. The Australian Forces have
been awarded 91, the Canadian Forces 80, New Zealand Forces 22, and South
African Forces 28. Members of the former Honourable East India Company and
Indian Army received 137. Some 300 have been awarded posthumously.
It is increasingly rare
for VCs to be awarded as the nature of warfare has changed from the hand to hand
combat of the nineteenth century and the carnage of the battlefields of the
First World War. Only one VC was awarded on D Day in 1944, whereas 24 were won
on a single day - 16 November 1857 - at the relief of Lucknow (half of which
were awarded to Light Infantry Regiments - 32nd and 53rd).
The last VCs awarded were
in the Falklands campaign in 1982 to Lieutenant Colonel 'H' Jones and Sergeant
Ian McKay of The Parachute Regiment.
The following extract was
taken from the
British Gallantry Awards,
PE Abbott & JMA Tamplin, 1981, ISBN 0 902633 740
 General
Ever since its institution the Cross has been
supplied by the well-known London jewellers, Messrs. Hancocks and Co., now of
Burlington Gardens London W1. The Cross and suspender are first cast in gunmetal
and then chased and finished by hand; from 1914 to 1950 a die-cast suspender was
used. The metal is taken from guns captured from the Russians in the Crimean War
although during and after the First World War it is fairly certain that metal
from captured Chinese guns was used for a short period. The components of the
decoration are then treated chemically to obtain the uniform dark brown finish
which is darker on some issues than on others. The Cross is 1.375 inches wide
and, together with the suspender bar and link, weighs about 0.87 ounces troy,
although chasing and finishing may cause slight variation in these figures. The
design of the Cross is attributed to H.H. Armstead who at the time of its
inception was working for Hancocks, the design then being approved by the Queen.
Ribbon
Crimson (described as red in the
Warrants), 1.5 inches wide. Originally the ribbon was dark blue or the Royal
Navy and crimson for the Army. Shortly before the Royal Air Force was formed on
1st April 1918 the King approved the recommendation that what had been the Army
ribbon should be adopted by all recipients. When the ribbon is worn alone a
miniature of the Cross is pinned on it, a bar being indicated by a second
miniature worn beside the first (when first approved in 1916, a single miniature
indicated the award of a bar; from 1917 this was changed to the current
configuration).
Suspension
By a straight bar, slotted for the ribbon,
with a V-lug below, made in one piece. The front of the bar is ornamented with
laurels (the die-cast bars having the leaves set more closely together), and the
reverse engraved with details of the recipient. The Cross and suspender bar are
joined by a small link which passes through the lugs of both components. On
earlier issues the link is completely circular and the inside bottom of the
V-lug slightly recessed to accommodate it. Later the link was made oval and the
lug not recessed.
Obverse
In reality the Cross is not a Maltese Cross,
as it is described in the Royal Warrents, but is closer to a cross patté.
Reverse
The date (or dates), of the act of gallantry
is engraved in the centre circle.
Bars
This is based on the suspender bar but
without the V-lug, ribbon and frame above. The reverse is engraved with details
of the recipient and the date or dates of the act.
Naming
Details of the recipient are engraved in
capital letters on the reverse of the suspender bar, and the date or dates of
the act of gallantry in the centre circle of the reverse of the Cross. The style
of engraving varies although, generally speaking, the use of serifs seem to have
been discontinued during the South African War (Boer) War. However, King Edward
VII having approved postumous issues, some comparatively modern Crosses exist
which were awarded for services performed many years before. Sometimes the
inscription is of the same colour as the decoration itself. The latter practise
seems to have been more general before the Boer War although thereafter no
particular pattern is apparent.
The details on the suspender bar include
the rank, name and regiment, or other description of the recipient.
Abbreviations are used, according to the length of the inscription, and during
the First World War the practise of adding the regimental or equivalent number
in the case of recipients below commissioned rank was introduced. Occasionally
the recipient's full (or abbreviated) first names appear. The First World War
and later inscriptions tend to be fuller than those appearing previously. The
details on the reverse of the Cross give the date or dates of the act concerned,
the month usually being abbreviated.
Re-issues
Occasionally a recipient has been issued with
a replacement which, in itself, cannot readily be detected, although suspicion
may be aroused if the accompanying medals are themselves replacement issues.
Hancocks are able to say if a replacement has been issued.
Copies and Fakes
Various types of copy exist, some cast
examples being very well made indeed. However, due to the cooling of the metal
in the mould, they are slightly smaller than the genuine Crosses and not of the
correct weight. Nevertheless, Hancocks do not consider the weight of great
importance as the thickness of the decoration can vary, especially with early
issues. Some copies are struck from dies which, together with some of those
cast, are poorly finished and of too light a colour. On one type of copy the
sides of the suspender bar are not straight but have a curved excrescence either
side of the ribbon slot, while another type has V-shaped niches at either end of
the ribbon slot. Some years ago a particularly well-made copy appeared on the
market; in this, however, the inner diameter of the centre circle of the reverse
is 14mm which is too wide and hence relatively easily recognisable. Some copies
have been faked by the addition of details of actual recipients although usually
the engraving is of poor quality. Hancocks can almost invariably state whether a
Cross is genuine or not.
External Link to Wikipedia:
Please click here for a
more detailed history on the Victory Cross and it's origins.
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