Writers:- The Victor editorial team. Artists:- Ted Rawlings, Anthony Coleman, Ted Kearon, Harry Farrugia, Leo Rawlings, an unknown artist, Joan Giralt and Matias Alonso.
Time period:- First and Second World Wars and 1960's.
The Victoria Cross medal (VC), is the highest military decoration that can be awarded to those serving in the British, Commonwealth and previous British Empire territories armed forces. This includes civilians serving under military command. The citation reads, ‘... most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.’
The VC medal was first awarded by the then monarch Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War, on 29th January 1856. It was originally thought that the metal used to produce the medal was from a Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. It is more likely though that the medal used came from different sources.
Since 1856, the V.C. medal has been awarded 1,356 times to 1,353 individual recipients. Since the Second World War only 13 medals, nine to members of the British Army, and four to the Australian Army, have been awarded.
The VC medal is described as a ‘Bronze Cross pattée with Crown and Lion superimposed, and motto: 'For Valour'’. The medal is attached to a purple ribbon.
The V.C. was last awarded to a soldier of the Australian Special Air Service (S.A.S.), Trooper Mark Donaldson, who deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire during a clash with the Taleban, in order to save wounded colleagues in Afghanistan, September 2009.
The last V.C. to be awarded to a member of the British Armed Forces was to a soldier, Private Beharry for two individual acts of bravery whilst under enemy fire on 01st May, 2004 during the Second Gulf War.
Bibliography
http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/mar/18/iraq.military1
The following adventures of British and Commonwealth Victoria Cross medal winners are from issues 730, 116, 108, 106, 330, 358, Hornet 257 and Victor 1371 respectively. The artists reading from top to bottom of the page are - Ted Rawlings, Anthony Coleman, Ted Kearon, Harry Farrugia, Leo Rawlings, an unknown artist, Joan Giralt and Matias Alonso.
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