VICTORIA
CROSS (VC)
VICTORIA
CROSS (VC)
The Victoria Cross was instituted in 1856 by Queen Victoria for valour in the face of the enemy. It is the highest award that can be made to any serving officer or man of the British or Commonwealth Armed Forces. Foreign awards have also been made. There are no specific criteria for awarding of the VC, no one has actually defined "valour". It was to be awarded only to soldiers who had performed an act of signal bravery or devotion, with such act carried out in the presence of the enemy in order to qualify. It was intended to be the most highly prized military award, and was uniquely available to all ranks.
In WWII the awarding of VCs came much less often, especially to flyers, as the novelty and apparent daring of their profession had worn off.
The medal itself is cast from bronze, attributed to Russian guns captured at Sebastapol. In fact the metal used during and after WW1 came from two 18 pounder Chinese guns that had been at Woolwich Barracks long before the Siege of Sebastapol. The Chinese metal was so hard that it was necessary to cast the Crosses rather than stamp them, the effect of this being a much more detailed medal than was originally envisaged. It is made by Hancocks & Co, Jewellers, who have made every Victoria Cross since 1857. The company hold the metal in ingots, each capable of making six Crosses, and they cast them in batches of six as required. Every medal is hand chased to enhance the detail, and then bronzed to a uniform finish. This process can lead to each medal being a slightly different colour and weight from others. Up to 1918 Naval awards had a blue ribbon, but with the formation of the RAF it was decided to have all medals use a crimson ribbon.
In typical English understatement, the ribbon is plain crimson and the medal is made of dull bronze taken from Russian cannons captured during the Crimean War of 1854-56. It states simply "For Valour".
Since its inception, 1,350 medals have been made, while 1,354 have been awarded. Three men have earned bars to their VC and the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetary, Washington, D.C. was awarded one.
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