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The Victoria Cross or V.C. was first introduced by Queen Victoria on 29 January 1856 as a recompense for an individual's act of bravery during the Crimean War. The criteria for awarding this unique decoration has not changed since the former British Empire days to modern Commonwealth times. The Victoria Cross is notably the highest military decoration any one person of the armed forces can receive for valour “in the face of the enemy” and takes precedence over every other order, decoration or medal. Any individual from any service of any rank, including civilian personnel under military command, may be awarded the Victoria Cross, which is usually presented either to the recipient or their next of kin by the British monarch, or if it is for awards made by other Commonwealth countries, by the Governor-General.
The George Cross, in this particular field of classification (in the United Kingdom) is equivalent to the Victoria Cross insofar as it too is the highest award for bravery, but not in the face of the enemy.
Since the Victoria Cross came into being it has been awarded 1,358 times; three individuals which were awarded the decoration more than once. Since the end of World War Two, only 15 Victoria Crosses have been awarded.[1]
Of the Border Regiment, five men for their bravery in the face of the enemy, were awarded the Victoria Cross during the Great War.[2] There were five other Victoria Crosses awarded to soldiers pre-dating the formation of the Border Regiment in 1881. The recipients of these, three from the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot (the 1st Border Regiment during the war) and two from the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot (the 2nd Border Regiment), are detailed below:
The following are listed in date order of the action the Victoria Cross was awarded.
| Name | Number | Rank | Battalion | Date of Action | Date of Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Beach | - | Private | 55th Regiment | 5 November 1854 | 24 February 1857 |
| William Coffey | 3837 | Private | 34th Regiment | 29 March 1855 | 24 February 1857 |
| John Joseph Sims | 3482 | Private | 34th Regiment | 18 June 1855 | 24 February 1857 |
| Frederick C. Elton | - | Brevet Major[3] | 55th Regiment | 4 August 1855 | 24 February 1857 |
| George Richardson | 4318 | Sergeant | 34th Regiment | 27 April 1859 | 11 November 1859 |
| Abraham Acton | 10694 | Private | 2nd Battalion | 21 December 1914 | 18 February 1915 |
| James Alexander Smith | 6423 | Private | 3rd Battalion[4] | 21 December 1914 | 18 February 1915 |
| Edward John Mott | 9887 | Sergeant | 1st Battalion | 27 January 1917 | 9 March 1917 |
| Charles Edward Spackman | 9522 | Sergeant | 1st Battalion | 20 November 1917 | 11 June 1918 |
| James Forbes-Robertson | - | Captain (A/Lt-Col.) | 1st Battalion | 11/12 April 1918 | 21 May 1918 |
Notes
- ↑ Four in the Korean War, one in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in 1965, four to Australians in the Vietnam War, two during the Falklands War in 1982, one in the Iraq War in 2004, and three in the War in Afghanistan for actions in 2006, 2012 and 2013.
- ↑ The following names were sourced from the Wikipedia article The Border Regiment and cross referenced with the Victoria Cross Website.
- ↑ Brevet or Bt.: usually referring to a warrant that authorises a commissioned officer to temporarily hold a higher rank without the extra pay that would normally come with that rank except when actually serving in that role.
- ↑ James Alexander Smith (6423) was attached to the 2nd Border Regiment during his actions for the VC.