List_of_Australian_Victoria_Cross_recipients

List of Australian Victoria Cross recipients

List of Australian Victoria Cross recipients

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The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy"[1] to members of the Australia Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service, and to civilians under military command. Being the highest award in the Australian Honours Order of Wearing, the VC takes precedence over all other postnominals and Australian orders and decorations. The VC was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856, initially to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. Because of its rarity and inherent significance, the VC is highly prized, both as an award and as a collector's item, with one medal being sold for over A$1 million at auction.[2] Australians have received the VC under the Imperial honours system and later under the Australian Honours System, when in 1991 a new but equivalent award was established by letters patent within the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories, known as the Victoria Cross for Australia. The Victoria Cross for Australia has been awarded five times: twice to Special Air Service Regiment members, once to a member of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and a posthumous award to a member of the 2nd Commando Regiment, and a posthumous award to Teddy Sheean. The first four were for actions in the War in Afghanistan while Sheean's was for actions during World War II.

The Australian War Memorial, which currently holds 66 VCs.

The Imperial VC has been awarded to 96 Australians—91 were received for actions whilst serving with Australian forces, and another five to former members of the Australian forces then serving with South African and British forces. The majority of the awards were for action in the First World War when a total of 64 medals were awarded. Nine of these awards were for action during the Gallipoli Campaign. 20 medals were awarded for action in the Second World War, 6 in the Second Boer War, 4 in the Vietnam War and 2 in the Russian Civil War.[1] Twenty-eight Australians have been awarded the medal posthumously.[3] One recipient—Captain Alfred Shout VC, MC (who was also Mentioned in Despatches)—was Australia's most decorated soldier of the Gallipoli campaign. His Victoria Cross was posthumously awarded after Shout died of his wounds during the Battle of Lone Pine.[4] Another 19 VCs have been awarded to soldiers who were either born in Australia, or died there, but did not serve in Australian units before being awarded the VC, and as such these are not included in this list.[5]

Keith Payne is the only living Australian recipient of the original VC; there are three living recipients of the Victoria Cross for Australia.

Recipients

  This along with the *, indicates that the Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously
AWM = This denotes that the medal is held at the Australian War Memorial

Victoria Cross

More information Name, Date of action ...

Victoria Cross for Australia

More information Name, Date of action ...

References

Specific

  1. [1]
    "VC for Australia" (PDF). Australian Government. Retrieved 2 July 2007.
  2. [2]
    "Gallipoli VC medal sets auction record". The Age. 24 July 2006. Retrieved 30 January 2007.
  3. [3]
    Wigmore 1986, p. 14.
  4. [4]
    "Bravery awards at Gallipoli". Australian Government, Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  5. [5]
    Wigmore 1986, pp. 180–187.
  6. [6]
    "Victoria Crosses held at the Memorial". Australian War Memorial.
  7. [7]
    "Major Badcoe's Victoria Cross" (PDF). South Australian Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2013.
    "The Victoria Cross - Major Peter Badcoe" (PDF). South Australian Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2009.
  8. [8]
    "Victoria Cross". Queensland Museum South Bank. Government of Queensland. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  9. [9]
    Robert Beatham's medal, owned by Mr Neil Jenman and Mrs Ruth Jenman, is on loan to the Queensland Museum until 2012.
  10. [10]
    Lieutenant Colonel Frederick William Bell Archived 8 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine, victoriacross.org.uk
  11. [11]
    VC medals in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart Archived 28 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, victoriacross.org.uk
  12. [12]
    Anthony Staunton, Cartwright, George (1894 - 1978), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 13, Melbourne University Press, 1993, p. 379. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
  13. [13]
    VC medals in the Army Museum, New Zealand Archived 13 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine, victoriacross.org.uk
  14. [14]
    Items of significance Archived 21 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Army Museum of Western Australia, 4 January 2009. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
  15. [15]
    Wilson, Neil (9 August 2003). "Rise & shrine". Herald Sun. p. 6.
  16. [16]
    Robert Grieve's medal is on loan to the Shrine by its owners, Wesley College
  17. [17]
    "Reginald Roy Inwood's - Victoria Cross Medal". Adelaide City Council. Retrieved 7 October 2008.
  18. [18]
    Capt. Clarence Smith Jeffries Memorial Park (Abermain) Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Register of War Memorials in New South Wales, 2002. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
  19. [19]
    William Joynt's VC medal is thought to be held at Melbourne Grammar School.[citation needed]
  20. [20]
    Kenna's VC had been on loan to the AWM since 9 April 2010 - see AWM Media Release 335 - but no longer appears on the War Memorial's list of Victoria Crosses held at the Memorial.
  21. [21]
    Co Sergeant Major Lewis McGee Archived 28 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, victoriacross.org.uk
  22. [22]
    VC medals in the RAF Museum, London, victoriacross.org.uk
  23. [23]
    "A History and Detailed Guide to St George's Cathedral"[permanent dead link], Revised 2007, pp.10&14. Retrieved on 2009-03-03.
  24. [24]
    Blair Wark's medal, owned by the United Service Club Queensland, is on loan to the Queensland Museum until 2012.
  25. [25]
    Whittle's VC has been on loan to the AWM since October 2009 - see AWM Media Release 296.
  26. [26]
    Donaldson's VC has been on loan to the AWM since January 2009 - see AWM Media Release 215.
  27. [27]
    "Australia's latest Victoria Cross recipient Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith VC MG views his newly installed panel and medal display for the first time" (PDF). Media alert. Australian War Memorial. 3 April 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2011.

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