decorations and medals today, it seems quite odd that the honours a serviceman was eligible for depended largely on his rank and in what service he was in. This is in stark contrast to the Canadian honours system where the same set of awards is used for all ranks and all services. Indeed, after the First World War and the introduction of the service- and rank-specific gallantry awards, namely, the Distinguished Service Cross, Military Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and their medal equivalents the Distinguished Service Medal, Military Medal, and Distinguished Flying Medal, it was the wish of King George V that these awards, along with the Distinguished Conduct Medal and Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, be abolished and replaced with a pair of new honours. This had been recommended by the Report of the Committee on Honours and Rewards in War, which in 1923 had proposed the creation of a Distinguished Service Decoration and a Distinguished Service Medal. Despite the King’s strong support and that of the committee, the three services jealously resisted any changes.
Throughout the twentieth century there was an increasing requirement to recognize civilians who acted gallantly. It was no longer just members of the military who were eligible for official recognition. A variety of organizations in Britain such as the Royal Humane Society, Lloyd’s of London, and the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, sought to recognize civilian bravery; however, there were no specific honours of the Crown bestowed to recognize similar acts until the Albert Medal was created in 1866. This was followed by the Edward Medal, the King’s Police Medal, the Empire Gallantry Medal, and then the George Cross and the George Medal. The Edward Medal is of particular interest since it was intended for labourers and those working in difficult circumstances at the bottom end of the social scale. The use of the Order of the British Empire and British Empire Medal to recognize gallantry is also worthy of consideration and has been examined in chapter 4.
In Canada the George Medal, Albert Medal, Air Force Medal, Edward Medals, King’s Police Medal, King’s Commendation for Brave Conduct, and King’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air were awarded sporadically during peacetime, though such awards were rare. The gallantry decorations and medals bestowed upon Canadians prior to 1967 differ from the modern Military Valour Decorations and decorations for bravery in that the branch of the military one served in — RCN, Army, or RCAF — and whether or not you were an officer determined the honour for which you were eligible. This was true for all of the gallantry awards, save the Victoria Cross, Albert Medal, George Cross, and George Medal, which were totally rank- and service-“blind” and could be earned by anyone. The Royal Red Cross was unique in that it was only bestowed upon women.
After the end of the Second World War, the restrictive nature of Canadian honours policy almost precluded any civilian recognition, while those in the military remained eligible for gallantry awards — but not those for meritorious service such as the Order of the Bath or Order of the British Empire. In 1956 a more liberal honours policy was introduced via Cabinet Directive No. 30 (see chapter 3). This allowed for civilians to be recognized for their gallant acts with the George Cross, the George Medal, the Queen’s Commendation for Brave Conduct, and the Order of the British Empire with gallantry emblem. Members of the Canadian Armed Forces remained eligible for the host of service- and rank-specific gallantry decorations.
All except one of the decorations and awards covered in this chapter have been supplanted by a variety of Canadian honours in the post-1967 period, the exception being the Mention in Dispatches, though it was revived in a Canadian form in 1990. The Canadian Victoria Cross, Cross of Valour, Military Valour Decorations, Decorations for Bravery, and Meritorious Service Decorations, along with the Order of Military Merit and Order of Merit of the Police Forces, overlap in criteria and purpose with those honours examined in this chapter. In 1993 the British reformed their honours system to be rank-blind, in that those who, on account of not being officers, were once only eligible for the DCM, CGM, DSM, MM, DFM, and AFM are now eligible for the equivalent that were once only conferred on officers.
The number of each honour bestowed has been taken from the important work done by Surgeon-Commander J.F. Blatherwick, CM, OBC, CD, and Hugh Halliday, who have devoted years to compiling the names and details of so many brave Canadians.
The Victoria Cross
Origins: Queen Victoria created the Victoria Cross following the end of the Crimean War in 1856 to recognize the most outstanding acts of gallantry. The impetus behind the establishment of the VC seems to be, in part, connected to discussions in Parliament and in the press that called for a reward to recognize soldiers and officers who had rendered daring, brave, and gallant acts throughout the two-year war with Russia. While officers were eligible for appointment to the Order of the Bath, men for the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal and sailors for the award of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, established in 1854 and 1855 respectively, there was little in the way of an honours system that sought to recognize a diverse array of military and civil acts of the highest order.
Only one VC was awarded for actions on Canadian soil, that to Private Timothy O’Hea of the Rifle Brigade. O’Hea extinguished a fire in an ammunition train during the Fenian Raid of 1866 in Danville, Quebec. This award was highly unusual since O’Hea’s gallantry was not rendered in the face of the enemy.
Victoria Cross obverse.
Only five other VCs were awarded under similar circumstances of “extreme danger, such as the occurrence of a fire on board ship … or under any other circumstances in which, through courage and devotion displayed, life or public property might be saved.”[1] Since 1881 the VC can only be awarded for gallantry in the face of an enemy.
Canadians received a total of 94 of the 1,357 Victoria Crosses awarded between its inception and 2014.[2] There are no Canadian recipients still living. The first Canadian to receive it was Alexander Dunn, a native of Upper Canada, who displayed outstanding valour during the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava in the Crimean War. The second VC to be awarded to a Canadian was also the first conferred on a person of colour: William Hall of Nova Scotia received it for service in the Indian Mutiny while serving in the Royal Navy. Perhaps the most famous Canadian VC recipient is Billy Bishop, the noted Great War flying ace and later air marshal in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The VC was replaced with the Canadian VC (see chapter 18).
Criteria: For most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.
Insignia: A bronze straight-armed cross pattée with raised edges, measuring 38 mm across. The obverse depicts a lion guardant standing upon the Royal Crown, and below the crown a scroll bears the inscription FOR VALOUR. The reverse is plain with raised edges. The insignia was most likely designed by H.H. Armstead of Hancocks.
Suspender: A small semicircle with a hole in the centre is located on the uppermost arm of the cross. Through this passes a small bronze link connected to a V below a straight bar ornamented with laurel leaves. On the reverse of the bar is engraved the rank, name, and unit of the recipient.
Victoria Cross reverse.
Ribbon: A crimson ribbon, 38 mm wide. A recipient wears a single miniature of the VC on his undress ribbon. A second award is denoted by a second miniature VC worn on the undress ribbon. A blue ribbon was used for naval awards until 1918.
Bars: Additional awards of the VC are signified by a bronze bar ornamented with laurel leaves.
Naming: Hand-engraved capitals on the reverse of the suspender with the recipient’s name and rank and date of action in the centre of the reverse.
Postnominals:
