THE VICTORIA CROSS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20536, 11 October 1928, Page 17

THE VICTORIA CROSS.

STORY OF ITS. ORIGIN. MOST PRIZED OF ALL DECORATIONS. QUEEN VICTORIA’S IDEA. “For Valour” is the simple inscription for this most prized of all decorations —the Victoria Cross. Fashioned from a piece of bronze weighing but 434 grains, with an intrinsic value of tenpence, it stands as a means of rewarding individual officers and men of the army, navy, and air force who might perform some signal act of valour or devotion to their country in the presence of the enemy. Civilians of both sexes are eligible for its award under certain conditions. Generally the deed which won it is a condensed bald statement reading like a definition in a dictionary. These are always notified in the London Gazette. There are, however, many other incidents connected with its history that are not generally known. “Noble fellows—l own 1 feel as u they were my own children; my heart beats for them as for my nearest and dearest. One must revere and love such soldiers as these,” were the words uttered by Queen Victoria to her uncle, the King of the Belgians, one afternoon in May, 1855, when a number of naval and military Crimean veterans paraded before her to receive the medal bearing clasps for Alma, Inkerman, and Balaclava. From that day we learn the Queen began to make plans for the decoration which we now know as the Victoria Cross. The idea of the award was hers, the method of granting it was hers and the design which is bold and fitting, we owe to hei husband, the Prince Consort. “FOR VALOUR.” It is no easy task to evolve a token, worth an insignificant sum, which men prize so highly. This was what she was able to do, and with practically no official assistance. The smallest details were watched over by her. In the first place, for instance, it was suggested that the inscription should be " For the Brave.” "No,” replied the Queen, “this would lead to the inference that only those are deemed brave w T ho have the Victoria Cross,” and a more fitting inscription could not be found. On February 5, 1856, the first official intimation dealing with the decoration was issued by the War Office. This was the first royal warrant that brought the cross into being. The cross is cast in bronze, and on leaving the mould has the appearance of a golden piece. It is then placed in the hands of a highly-skilled workman, who spends many hours in chasing the surface. When the detail has been properly set in relief, the piece is coated with a dark lacquer. The earliest crosses were cast in mental obtained from bronze guns taken from the Russians in the Crimea. A particular gun captured at Sebastopol has been used for the purpose, but Chinese guns have supplied the material for the crosses issued during the Great War of 1914-18. The cross when finished is one inch and a-half over all. The first distribution of the cross took place on the morning of June 20, 1857, in Hyde Park, London. The ceremony took less than an hour to perform. At 10 o’clock a Royal salute was fired, and the Queen, on horseback, rode to the spot selected for the presentation, accompanied by the Prince Consort, the Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward V TT), and other distinguished personae- ~ The Secretary of War held in his m ad a list of the heroes—62 in all—and, us he read out the names, one by one, the recipients stepped forward, and the Queen pinned the cross to their Although the cross was not instituted until February, 1850, the Queen decided that the award should be distributed as though it had come into being with the commencement of Russian hostilities. The first award was for an act on June 21, 1854. The first naval V.C. hero and the first man to win the cross was Charles David Lucas, a mate on H.M.S. Hecla, During the Crimean war a British squadron was cruising in the Baltic Sea, and on June 21, 1854, the Hecla and two other boats shelled the main fort of Bomarsund, but did little damage, as their ammunition was limited, and the buildings were proof against the explosives used in those days. During the engagement the Russians dropped a live shell on the Hecla. It was on the point of exploding, and had it done so the consequences would have been disastrous. Without a moment’s hesitation Lucas rushed forward to where it lay, picked it up with his arms, and flung it overboard. His courageous act saved many of his comrades’ lives. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, and rose to the rank of rear-admiral, serving his country in later wars. HEROIC DEEDS AT ALMA. It is hard to define the first military V.C. holder, as six gallant men performed heroic deeds on the day of the storming of Alma, and no army crosses had been distributed prior to then. Perhaps the senior of the bunch, and the first to receive the cross on his breast by the Queen, was one Robert James Lindsay, who afterwards became Lord Wantage. The first V.C. hero of the air was Lieutenant W. B. Rhodes-Moorhouse, of the Royal Fying Corps On April 20, 1915, he flew to an important junction jf Courtrai( and dropped bombs on the railway line near that station. Bavin* accomplished his work, he started on the return journey, but was mortally wounded. Although he must have been suffering considerably, be succeeded in flying 35 miles to his destination, and there made a report of his operations. The plucky way in which he stuck to hie machine and brought it safely back to the British lines, evoked the highest admiration, but, unfortunately, he did not live to receive the cross in person. Until 1902 there was a rule that no cross was to be forwarded to the relatives of a V.C. hero if the person died during the performance of the gallant deed. At a later date King Edward VII cancelled this, and ruled that in future cases the relatives of a dead hero were to be given the decoration, and that in every case where the cross had beep withheld for this reason since the inception in 1856, the relatives could come forward and claim it, when it may be publicly presented to the next of kin. The Victoria Cross is, if possible, always presented by the King in person. Bars are added to the cross for additional acta of bravery. According to the official list of V.C. winners, only one so far has been awarded, the recipient being Arthur Martin-Leake, who gained his decoration during the South African war, where he acted as surgeon-captain to the South African Constabulary. He received the bar at Zonnebeke between October 29 and November 8, 1914, when he rescued, while exposed to constant fire, a large number of wounded lying close to the enemy’s trenches. Although the award is given for valour in the presence of the enemy, one case is on record when, in 1858, during the Fenian raid in Canada, Private Timothy O'Hea, of the Rifle Brigade, was awarded the cross for his courageous behaviour in helping to extinguish a fire in an ammunition railway car, the exploit not being in the presence of the enemy. Many alterations have been made to the original warrant instituting the cross. Civilians are ineligible for its award, although during the Indian mutiny several Government officials received it. The blue ribbon for a naval V.C. is now discontinued, and all recipients, whether army, navy, or air services, wear the cross suspended by a crimson ribbon. When the ribbon alone is worn a miniature bronze cross is placed on it, with an additional bronze cross for each bar. An annuity of £lO is awarded with the cross, and this may be increased to £SO when age or infirmity have impoverished the recipient. In all 67 crosses have been conferred on Australian soldiers for two campaigns. In the South African war, 1899-1902, five were awarded, and 62 for the Great War, 1914-1918. A number of these sacrificed their lives for it, and it may be said of them who did not survive to receive it, that they died on f he field of glory to live for ever in the field of fame.