Victoria Cross
From Wikipedia:
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It is first in the order of wear in the United Kingdom honours system, and takes precedence over all other orders, decorations, and medals, except the George Cross, with which it shares equal precedence. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. The VC is usually presented to the recipient or to their next of kin by the British monarch at an investiture held at Buckingham Palace.
The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,357 times to 1,354 individual recipients. Only 14 medals, ten to members of the British Army, and four to the Australian Army, have been awarded since the Second World War. The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. Recent research has thrown doubt on this story, suggesting a variety of origins for the material actually making up the medals themselves. Research has established that the gunmetal for many of the medals came from Chinese cannons that may have been captured from the Russians in 1855.
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories. It is first in the order of wear in the United Kingdom honours system, and takes precedence over all other orders, decorations, and medals, except the George Cross, with which it shares equal precedence. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. The VC is usually presented to the recipient or to their next of kin by the British monarch at an investiture held at Buckingham Palace.
The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,357 times to 1,354 individual recipients. Only 14 medals, ten to members of the British Army, and four to the Australian Army, have been awarded since the Second World War. The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the Siege of Sevastopol. Recent research has thrown doubt on this story, suggesting a variety of origins for the material actually making up the medals themselves. Research has established that the gunmetal for many of the medals came from Chinese cannons that may have been captured from the Russians in 1855.
For recipients of the Victoria Cross in Canada (after 1993), Australia (after 1991) and New Zealand (after 1999), please refer to the relevant country page
Boatswain Henry Cooper, Royal Navy
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Major John Cook, 5th Gurkha Rifles
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Brigadier General Francis A. Maxwell, British Indian Army
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Lieutenant William Rhodes-Moorhouse, Royal Flying Corps
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Lance Corporal Walter Parker, Royal Marines Light Infantry
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Captain Fred Barter, Royal Welch Fusiliers
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Lance Corporal Joseph Tombs, 1st Bn. Kings (Liverpool) Regt.
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Sub-Lieutenant Reginald Warneford, Royal Naval Air Service
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Major Lanoe Hawker, Royal Flying Corps
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Sergeant Thomas Mottershead, Royal Flying Corps
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Captain Albert Ball, Royal Flying Corps
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Major Edward "Mick" Mannock, Royal Air Force
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Captain Ferdinand West, Royal Air Force
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Major James McCudden, Royal Flying Corps
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Wing Commander James Nicolson, Royal Air Force
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Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde, Fleet Air Arm
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Commander John Linton, Royal Navy
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Wing Commander Guy Gibson, Royal Air Force
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Cpl. Sefanaia Sukanaivalu, Fijian Infantry Regiment
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Cpl. Sukanaivalu was the only Fijian recipient of the Victoria Cross. Please note: this is an assumption of the other awards, as there are no photographs of his group as far as I know.
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Group Captain Leonard Cheshire, Royal Air Force (The Baron Cheshire)
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Flight Lieutenant David Lord, Royal Air Force
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Major Robert Cain, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (attached to South Staffordshire Regiment)
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Colonel John Carne, The Gloucestershire Regiment
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Private William "Bill" Speakman, Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment)
Captain Rambahadur Limbu, 10th Princess Mary's Own Gurkha Rifles
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Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Jones, The Parachute Regiment
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Sergeant Ian McKay, The Parachute Regiment
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Warrant Officer 2nd Class Johnson Beharry, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment
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Corporal Bryan Budd, The Parachute Regiment
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Corporal James Ashworth, Grenadier Guards
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Lance Corporal Joshua Leakey, The Parachute Regiment
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