"FOR VALOUR."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15930, 29 May 1915, Page 5 (Supplement)

"FOR VALOUR."

THE VICTORIA CROSS.

HOW IT MAY BE WOK.

Tf- present titanic conflict is likely to add a- long list, of names to that scroll of honour, the V.C. list, No meritorious conduct decoration awarded to our land and sea for.es for distinguished services is » eagerly sought for. or jealously guarded, as that represented by these two coveted letters of the alphabet. It is m->r« highly pried by its wearer, be he field-marshal or private, than any other honour which he can receive. It can only be awarded to officers and men who have served in the face of the cnemv. and shall have then performed sou c signal set of valoui or devotion to their countrv.

The first announcement regardirg the Victoria Cress was made in the London Gazette of February 5. 1856. It was inftituted by Roy.-. Warrant, -lime 29, 1856. and revised' April 23. 1881. The inauguration of the order took place on June K&, 1857. v. hen the sailors and troops "ho returned from the Crimea received from Que?n Victoria the new Cross fir Vaiom .;'. a brilliant function in Hyde Park. What Go 2$ With the Cross. A monetary .-'-nl goes with the Victoria Cross in 1 lie shape of an annuity. which for wairanl officers, non-com-missioned officers, scamcr, marines and privates, amounts to £10 per annum, and tor each bar added £0 per annum. It was decided, howrvei in July 1898. that M the discretion of the Secretary of State for War. a sum of £s'' a year might he granted by nay of pension 111 lieu of the £10 before-mentioned. A hardship le.lt in connection with tie granting of the Cross was removed by the late King Edward on August 8, 1902. Prior to that date sailors or soldiers who were entitled to the V.C. but who. died before receiving it. had their names announced in the Gazette, but their representatives did not receive the decoration. This was altered r.n the above date, so bat the next of kin of the V.C. heroes of the Boer War, who had not survived the campaign, received their Crosses, and this ruling was made re'ros. active. In the present war, unhappily, there arc several instances of heroes ■ 10 did not survive to revive ths ioken of their valour. King George has extend d to the Indian troops of our Empire the possibility of winning the award. Foimerly they were not eligible for this distinction, but tne King-Emperor at the Delhi Durbar in 1912 granted them this boon, a,id the present war is their lirst possible opportunity of securing it. At least- two of our gallant Indian soldiers have already secured the coveted distinction. How to Earn It. The circumstances under which a V.C. fs' given are subjected to a close scrutiny, to as to ensure that it is not granted except for exceptionally meritorious deeds in action. When the daring act is performed directly under the eye of an admiral or general in command, the V.C. can he awarded on the spot, and the decoration is carried out in a public manner in front of the naval or military force to which the win*, r belongs, bis name at the same time bo- v g recorded in a " general order." in wakd. the reason for the special distinction is, given. Where the gallant deed is not performed under the immediate notice of- his general the claimant must make good- his ; claim, or .have it made good for,him, by independent testirodny^: In this, case the decoration is to follow as soon after the claim is' admitted - as) 'possible and the recipient's name must appear in ; a "general order." '.„(.:■/' • It will-have been observed that King George took the opportunity of his visit 1 to the front to- confer crosses on the' surviving winners up to that date,'and some of them "who have been home on short leave, while in London, been summoned to Buckingham Palace to have the Cross pinned on their breasts by the King in. person. '•■;■■;• ,> iy »"?,_ iln order to ensure that the recipients of, the V.C should I maintain a high standard of personal and : professional conduct any one of them convicted of crime or cowardice has bis Cross forfeited, and in. the case of those carrying a money award, .the annuity or pension is withdrawn. " , \ v . *' \ i Civilian Winners. Three years after the institution of the Victoria Cioss * statement appeared in the Gazette 'to the effect that ' Her -Majesty, had been pleased to declare that non-militant persons who,' as voluuteers, had borne arms against the mutineers during the Indian Mutiny should be considered as eligible to receive the • V.C. It was under this additional clause Unit the three civilians, Mr. Ross Lowis Mangles, .of the Bentral Civil Service, assistant magistrate at l'atna; Mr. William Eraser McDonnell, magistrate of the Saran district; and .Mr. Thomas Henry Kavanagb, assistant commissioner in Oudh, were granted the Victoria Cross for their services at Arrah and v liUcknow. At Arrah. a dozen British and a small number of Sikhs defied for a whole week all the efforts of over 2000 Sepoys to capture the .-mall two-storeyed house, in which they had been penned. When news came through of this affair, a relief expedition was quickly got together under Captain Dunbar. It consisted of about 400 men, with a few volunteers, including Mangles and MDonell, who both knew the district well, and were consequently of great value as guides. When, however, tbc little force had got within a few miles of Arrah it was unluckily ambushed and finally had to retreat, ' A Heroic Effort. It was at this juncture that Magistrate Manglds showed the stuff of which he was made. Although stunned by a musket ball early in the fighting, he continued to take a leading 'part in helping tfje wounded and shooting down the more .'venturesome of the. Sepoys pressing their rear. It is said that lie kepi quit/i a number of men busy reloading for him. and his fame as a tine tiger phot was -proved on that occasion to be no empty boast by the way he bowled over Sepoy after Sepoy. The special act for which he got the Victoria Cross was the rescue of a wounded private of tiie Hampshire*. This mam who was severely wounded, was pitecusly appealing to his comrades not to leave him to the tender mercies of the enemy, when Mangles, after tying up the man's wounds, took him' on his back and carried him six miles over swampy ground' and under an Indian July Min. When he did stop now and again for a brief rest, he had to spend his time in keeping tho pursuing rebels *:, -bay. At long length tho Ganges was reached, aud Mangles found that he had then to swim out to th© boats with his now unconscious load.

Apart from the valour of the deed, it was altogether as astounding a display of strength and endurance as ever one man £ave to save the life of another, for Mangles had not had a wink of sleep for forty-oight hours before all this took place. As it ; s with all truly brave men, Mangles'fi modesty was as pronounced as his bravery, and if it had not been for the private tolling the story to the surgeon who attended him. and the latter noting it down in his diary, this magnificent feat would have gone unrecognised. Even as it was twelve months , parsed before tho public heard of the heroism that gave the magistrate his V.C.. '•