The Victoria Cross: How Britain's Highest Award for Gallantry Was Created
The Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry. Imperial War Museum collection (HU69722), public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Few military honours carry the weight of the Victoria Cross. It is the highest award in the British honours system, reserved for "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." Since Queen Victoria created it during the Crimean War it has been awarded just 1,358 times. This is how it came to exist, what it is made of, and the recipients who stand apart in such rare company. Key facts The Victoria Cross was instituted by Royal Warrant on 29 January 1856 and backdated to 1854 to cover the Crimean War. The first awards were presented by Queen Victoria at Hyde Park on 26 June 1857, 62 of the 111 Crimean recipients invested on the day. It has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individuals, and can be won by a person of any rank in an...