List of Royal Engineers recipients of the Victoria Cross

This is a list of Royal Engineers recipients of the Victoria Cross.The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration that may be bestowed upon members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces for acts of valour or gallantry performed in the face of the enemy. Within the British honours system and those of many Commonwealth nations it is the highest award a soldier can receive for actions in combat. It was established in 1856 and since then has been awarded 1,356 times, including three service personnel who were awarded the VC twice.[1]

The Victoria Cross

The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the siege of Sevastopol. Recent research has thrown doubt on this story, suggesting a variety of origins.[2] The original Royal Warrant did not contain a specific clause regarding posthumous awards, although official policy was to not award the VC posthumously. Between 1897 and 1901, several notices were issued in the London Gazette regarding soldiers who would have been awarded the VC had they survived. In a partial reversal of policy in 1902, six of the soldiers mentioned were granted the VC, but not "officially" awarded the medal. In 1907, the posthumous policy was completely reversed and medals were sent to the next of kin of the six officers and men.[3] The Victoria Cross warrant was not officially amended to explicitly allow posthumous awards until 1920 but one quarter of all awards for the First World War were posthumous.[4][5]

Due to its rarity, the VC is highly prized and the medal has fetched over £400,000 at auction.[6] A number of public and private collections are devoted to the Victoria Cross. The private collection of Lord Ashcroft, amassed since 1986, contains over one-tenth of all VCs awarded. Following a 2008 donation to the Imperial War Museum, the Ashcroft collection went on public display alongside the museum's Victoria and George Cross collection in November 2010.[7] Since 1990, three Commonwealth countries that retain the Queen as head of state have instituted their own versions of the VC. As a result, the original Victoria Cross is sometimes referred to as the "Commonwealth Victoria Cross" or the "Imperial Victoria Cross", to distinguish it from the newer awards.[8][9]

The Corps of Royal Engineers can trace its origins back 900 years, during which time they have been involved in every major conflict the British Army has fought in. The Royal Flying Corps – the forerunner of the Royal Air Force – and the present day Royal Signals were originally part of the Corps.[10] Their first recipient of the Victoria Cross received the award for actions performed during the Crimean War, while the last came during the Second World War. In total, thirty-six Royal Engineers have been awarded the Victoria Cross, across ten different conflicts or campaigns.[10]

Royal Engineer recipients
NameDateConflictLocation
Adam Archibald4 November 1918First World WarSambre–Oise Canal[11]
Fenton Aylmer2 December 1891Hunza-Nagar CampaignNilt[12]
Mark Sever Bell4 February 1874Third Anglo-Ashanti WarOrdashu[13]
John Chard22–23 January 1879Anglo-Zulu WarRorke's Drift[14]
Brett Cloutman6 November 1918First World WarPont-sur-Sambre[15]
Clifford Coffin31 July 1917First World WarWesthoek[16]
James Morris Colquhoun Colvin16–17 September 1897First Mohmand CampaignMohmand Valley[17]
James Lennox Dawson13 October 1915First World WarHohenzollern Redoubt[18]
Robert James Thomas Digby-Jones6 January 1900Second Boer WarLadysmith[19]
Thomas Frank Durrant28 March 1942Second World WarSt Nazaire[20][nb 1]
Howard Craufurd Elphinstone18 June 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[21]
George de Cardonnel Elmsall Findlay4 November 1918First World WarSambre–Oise Canal[22]
Gerald Graham18 June 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[23]
William Hackett22–23 June 1916First World WarGivenchy-lès-la-Bassée[24]
Reginald Clare Hart31 January 1879Second Anglo-Afghan WarBazar Valley[25]
Lanoe Hawker25 July 1915First World WarPassendale[26][nb 2]
Charles Jarvis23 August 1914First World WarJemappes[27]
Frederick Henry Johnson25 September 1915First World WarHill 70[28]
William Henry Johnston14 September 1914First World WarMissy-sur-Aisne[29]
Frank Howard Kirby2 June 1900Second Boer WarDelagoa Bay[30]
Cecil Leonard Knox22 March 1918First World WarTugny[31]
Edward Pemberton Leach17 March 1879Second Anglo-Afghan WarMaidanah[32]
Peter Leitch18 June 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[21]
William James Lendrim14 February 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[23]
Wilbraham Lennox20 November 1854Crimean WarSevastopol[23]
Henry MacDonald19 April 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[21]
Edward Mannock17 June 1918
7 July 1918
14 July 1918
19 July 1918
20 July 1918
22 July 1918		First World WarWestern Front[33][nb 3]
Cyril Gordon Martin12 March 1915First World WarSpanbroek Molen[34]
James McPhie14 October 1918First World WarSensée Canal[35]
Philip Neame19 December 1914First World WarNeuve-Chapelle[36]
John Perie18 June 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[23]
Claud Raymond21 March 1945Second World WarTalaku[37]
John Ross21 July 1855Crimean WarSevastopol[23]
Michael Sleavon3 April 1858Indian MutinyJhansi[38]
Thomas Colclough Watson16 September 1897First Mohmand CampaignMohmand Valley[17]
Arnold Horace Santo Waters4 November 1918First World WarSambre–Oise Canal[39]
Theodore Wright23 August 1914First World WarJemappes[40]

References
Footnotes
  1. Attached to No. 2 Commando.
  2. Attached to the Royal Flying Corps.
  3. Attached to the Royal Flying Corps.
Citations
  1. "Victoria Cross: The Premier Award for Gallantry". Ministry of Defence (UK). Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  2. Davies, Catronia (28 December 2005). "Author explodes myth of the gunmetal VC". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  3. "No. 27986". The London Gazette. 15 January 1907. p. 325.
  4. Crook, MJ, Chapter 8 pp.68–90
  5. "No. 31946". The London Gazette. 18 June 1920. p. 6702.
  6. "The Victoria Cross ... awarded to Captain Alfred Shout have been sold at auction". Iain Stewart, Victoria Cross.org. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  7. "Press Release: The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, Extraordinary Heroes". Imperial War Museum. 9 November 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  8. "Pro Valore: Canada's Victoria Cross" (PDF). National Defence; Government of Canada. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  9. "Victoria Cross for Australia" (PDF). Australian Government. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  10. "History of the Royal Engineers". Ministry of Defence (UK). Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  11. "No. 31108". The London Gazette (Supplement). 6 January 1919. p. 308.
  12. "No. 29423". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1916. p. 80.
  13. "No. 27958". The London Gazette. 16 October 1896. p. 6975.
  14. "No. 24717". The London Gazette. 2 May 1879. p. 3177.
  15. "No. 31155". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 January 1919. p. 1503.
  16. "No. 30284". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 September 1917. p. 9531.
  17. "No. 26968". The London Gazette. 20 May 1898. p. 3165.
  18. "No. 29394". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 December 1915. p. 12281.
  19. "No. 27462". The London Gazette. 8 August 1902. p. 5085.
  20. "No. 37134". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1945. p. 3171.
  21. "No. 22149". The London Gazette. 4 June 1858. p. 2757.
  22. "No. 31872". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 April 1920. p. 4668.
  23. "No. 21971". The London Gazette. 24 February 1857. p. 656.
  24. "No. 29695". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 August 1916. p. 7744.
  25. "No. 24732". The London Gazette. 10 June 1879. p. 3830.
  26. "No. 29157". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 May 1915. p. 4507.
  27. "People of Angus". Angus Government. Archived from the original on 4 December 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  28. "No. 29371". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 November 1915. p. 11448.
  29. "No. 29371". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 November 1915. p. 11448.
  30. "No. 27235". The London Gazette. 5 October 1900. p. 6126.
  31. "Grave Locations for Holders of the Victoria Cross Leicestershire". Victoria Cross. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  32. "No. 24790". The London Gazette. 9 December 1879. p. 7265.
  33. "No. 31463". The London Gazette. 18 July 1919. p. 9136.
  34. "Grave Locations for the Holders of the Victoria Cross South East London". Victoria Cross. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  35. "No. 31155". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 January 1919. p. 1504.
  36. "No. 29074". The London Gazette (Supplement). 16 February 1916. p. 1700.
  37. "No. 37151". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 June 1945. p. 3365.
  38. "No. 22324". The London Gazette. 19 June 1860. p. 4032.
  39. "No. 41503". The London Gazette (Supplement). 23 September 1958. p. 5822.
  40. "Theodore Wright". Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  • Crook, M.J. (1975). The Evolution of the Victoria Cross. Midas Books. ISBN 0-85936-041-5.
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