HOLDER OF V.C. GETS ONLY SMALL PENSION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18959, 4 January 1930, Page 10

HOLDER OF V.C. GETS ONLY SMALL PENSION.

(Special to the “Star.”) LONDON, November 21. The announcement in the House of Commons that the holder of a Victoria Cross may, in certain circumstances, draw a pension up to £75 a year, was news to many people and even to some members of “the Most Enviable Order.” It is true that the provision is plainlv stated in the last published edition of Royal Pay Warrant (1926), but that document is net closely studied outside official circles. Even the knowledge that the V.C. always has carried an annuity of £lO a year for men below commissioned rank, though fairly gen eral, is not by any means universal. One of the V.C.’s at the Prince ot Wales's dinner declared that many people were under the impression his decoration was supplemented by a sub stantial pension, and were inert " ’ous when they learned that it amounted onlv to fifty shillings a quarter. The provision for increasing the £lO annuity is not new, but it has not so far been taken advantage of to a great extent. This may be due partly to lack of knowledge about it and partly

to the conditions governing the powers entrusted to the Army Council. These powers give the Council discretion to increase the annuity to, but not exceeding, a total of £75 a year in cases where the holder of a V.C. is unable, “ in consequence of age or of incapacity occasioned by causes beyond his own control,” to earn a livelihood. At present there are but eight cases of V.C.'s who take advantage of this provision, and two only are drawing the full £75 a year. A necessitous V.C. who has a disability pension cannot benefit under the special provision without consideration of the disability pension. He is entitled to an increase of the V.C. annuity only to such an extent as may bring the total amount of pension from public funds—other than a con tribntory old-age pension—up to £75 annually.