Victoria Cross (Canada)
Victoria Cross | |
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Ribbon bar of the Victoria Cross | |
Precedence | |
Next (lower) | Cross of Valour |
The Victoria Cross (VC;
Whereas in many other
Origin
The original
Until 1972, 81 members of the Canadian military (including those from Newfoundland) and 13 Canadians serving in British units had been awarded the Victoria Cross.[7] After that date, however, the Canadian honours system was overhauled, and the Victoria Cross was eliminated from the official list of honours, instigating a decades-long debate on whether or not to reinstate the decoration. The prime minister at the time, Pierre Trudeau, regularly dodged questions about the Victoria Cross, stating only that Canadians should receive Canadian decorations.[8] In 1987, prime minister Brian Mulroney set up a committee to look into the creation of a Canadian Victoria Cross as part of a new series of military honours.[9] Although the committee did not recommend the Victoria Cross—names such as the Canada Cross and the Cross of Military Valour were put forward[10][11]—the creation of a Victoria Cross for Australia in 1991 and pressure from The Globe and Mail and advocacy groups,[12] such as the Monarchist League of Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion, forced the plans to be amended.[10][13] In 1991 a private member's bill received all-party support in the House of Commons, following which the Victoria Cross, along with other Canadian military valour decorations, were on 31 December 1992 formally requested by Mulroney. The request was approved with the issue of letters patent by Queen Elizabeth II on 2 February of the following year, thereby ceasing Canadian dependence (except for those honours and awards in the personal gift of the Sovereign) on the British honours system.[14]
Criteria
The Victoria Cross is awarded for "the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty, in the presence of the enemy" at any point after 1 January 1993. It may be presented
In the case of a gallant and daring act having been performed by a squadron, ship's company, or detached body of individuals (such as a security detachment) in which all persons were deemed equally brave and deserving of the Victoria Cross, a ballot is to be drawn; the commissioned and non-commissioned officers each select one of their own, and the private soldiers or seamen select from amongst themselves two individuals.[n 1] This provision with modification is included in the current warrant but has not been used since the First World War.
The process of awarding the Victoria Cross may take place in two ways: One is through a recommendation by the Decorations and Commendations Advisory Committee,
To date, no Canadian Victoria Cross has been conferred;
Near the end of
Beginning in 2021, a campaign was launched to award Jess Larochelle the medal, upgrading his Star of Military Valour. To date the campaign has been unsuccessful.[24]
Appearance and display
The design of the Canadian medal is derived from that of the British original, which was the creation of
With
As the apex of the Canadian system of honours, the Victoria Cross is to be worn before all other Canadian decorations and insignia of orders, including the Order of Merit and the Order of Canada. It is worn as a medal, suspended from a medal bar on the left chest, unless protocol calls for a ribbon bar, which consists of a crimson ribbon with a miniature bronze Victoria Cross at its centre. Should an individual receive multiple awards of the Victoria Cross, additional bronze medal bars are added to the ribbon and further miniatures are placed evenly on the ribbon bar, reflecting the number of crosses the wearer has earned.[14]
Notes
- ^ Clause 13 of the original warrant constituting the Victoria Cross states: "It is ordained that in the event of a gallant and daring act having been performed by a squadron, ship's company, or detached body of seamen and marines not under fifty in number, or by a brigade, regiment, troop or company in which the admiral, general, or other officer commanding such forces may deem that all are equally brave and distinguished, and that no special selection can be made by them, then is such case the admiral, general, or other officer commanding, may direct that for any such body of seamen or marines, or for every troop or company of soldiers, one officer shall be selected by the officers engaged for the Decoration, and in like manner one petty officer or non-commissioned officer shall be selected by the petty officers and non-commissioned officers engaged, and two seamen or private soldiers or marines shall be selected by the seamen, or private soldiers, or marines engaged, respectively for the Decoration, and the names of those selected shall be transmitted by the senior officers in command of the Naval force, brigade, regiment, troop, or company, to the admiral or general officer commanding, who shall in due manner confer the Decoration as if the acts were done under his own eye."[17]
- ^ According to Natural Resources Canada: "All British and Commonwealth Victoria Crosses reputedly include metal from a cannon captured during the Crimean War (1854–1856). The Canadian Victoria Cross also includes metal from the same cannon, as does one of Canada's Confederation Medals, produced in 1867. To reflect Canada's rich resource-based industries, commercially-made copper and other metals from Canadian sources were used. This was supplemented with naturally occurring copper from NRCan and private collections, representing all regions of Canada."[31] The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal has been cast in doubt by the research of John Glanfield, which suggested a variety of origins for the British medals' materials.[32]
Citations
- ^ a b Reynolds 2008, p. 40
- ^ Ashcroft 2006, Introduction
- ^ a b "Victoria Cross Heroes". Channel 5. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Michael. "Heaphy, Charles 1820–1881". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ Standish, Michael Wordsworth (1966). "Heaphy, Charles". In McLintock, A.H. (ed.). An Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Wellington: Queen's Printer. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ Reynolds 2008, p. 14
- ^ Reynolds 2008, pp. 14–15
- ^ Campbell, Murray; Moore, Oliver (3 March 2007). "Top honour now cast in Canada". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Lochnan, Carl. "Victoria Cross". In Marsh, James Harley (ed.). The Canadian Encyclopedia. Toronto: Historica Foundation of Canada. Archived from the original on 16 May 2005. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ a b c Dundas, Charles (2007). "VC Not Presented at Vimy Commemoration" (PDF). Canadian Monarchist News. Summer 2007 (26). Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada: 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ McCreery 2005
- ^ "It's an Honour > Honours > Awards > A-Z of Awards > Victoria Cross for Australia". Australian Government. Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ Jackson, Michael D. (2007). "Honours of the Crown" (PDF). Canadian Monarchist News. Summer 2007 (26). Toronto: Monarchist League of Canada: 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
- ^ a b c "Canadian Forces page on the medal". Canadian Armed Forces. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ a b Reynolds 2008, p. 13
- ^ a b c Reynolds 2008, p. 38
- ^ "No. 21846". The London Gazette. 5 February 1856. p. 411. This issue contains official publication of the original warrant issued by Queen Victoria
- ^ Department of National Defence (30 January 2004). The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces (PDF) (2 ed.). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. pp. 2–2–6. A-AD-200-000/AG-000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ Elizabeth II (1 August 1990). Gallantry Awards Order. 2, 4.1.a. Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada.
- ^ "Top military honour now cast in Canada". CTV. 3 March 2007. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 12 July 2007.
- ^ Teotonio, Isabel (7 March 2007). "Vets irate at Victoria Cross proposal". Toronto Star. Retrieved 7 December 2007.
- ^ "No decision yet on Victoria Cross award: PM". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 March 2007. Archived from the original on 16 March 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
- ^ Brewster, Murray (7 November 2012). "Canada's war in Afghanistan may go without highest battle honour". Global News. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
- ^ Brewster, Murray (1 September 2023). "Soldier praised for heroism in Afghanistan dies". CBC News. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ a b c Department of National Defence. "Victoria Cross". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ Ashcroft 2006, p. 16
- ^ Noppe, David (May 2008). "Canadian Victoria Cross unveiled". National Defence and the Canadian Forces. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
- ^ Freda, Tom (25 May 2008), "Hanging on to Victoria's cross", Ottawa Citizen, archived from the original on 18 April 2010, retrieved 8 August 2010
- ^ a b Reynolds 2008, p. 43
- ^ El Akkad, Omar (17 May 2008). "Canadian Victoria Cross unveiled". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
- ^ Natural Resources Canada (30 December 2008). "Canadian Victorian Cross". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
- ^ Davies, Catronia (28 December 2005). "Author explodes myth of the gunmetal VC". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
- ^ Reynolds 2008, p. 39
- ^ Noppe, Dave (28 May 2008). "Canadian Victoria Cross unveiled". The Maple Leaf. 11 (20). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
References
- ISBN 0-7553-1632-0.
- ISBN 978-1-55002-554-5.
- Reynolds, Ken (2008). Pro Valore: Canada's Victoria Cross (PDF) (2 ed.). Ottawa: Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-316-73321-0.
- Bishop, William Arthur (1995). Our Bravest and Our Best: The Stories of Canada's Victoria Cross Winners. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson. ISBN 978-0-07-552619-3.
- Boileau, John (2005). Valiant Hearts: Atlantic Canada and the Victoria Cross. Halifax, Nova Scotia: Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55109-548-6.
- Halliday, Hugh (2006). Valour Reconsidered: Inquiries into the Victoria Cross and Other Awards for Extreme Bravery. Toronto: Robin Brass Studio. ISBN 978-1-896941-47-9.
- Machum, George C. (1956). Canada's V.C.s: The Story of Canadians who have been Awarded the Victoria Cross. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart. OCLC 421841304.
- Swettenham, John (1973). Valiant Men: Canada's Victoria Cross and George Cross Winners. Toronto: Hakkert. ISBN 978-0-88866-525-6.
External links