Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for bravery. Queen Victoria introduced the award on the 29th January 1856, the decoration is inscribed "For Valor".

“Officers and men of the Indian Army, up until independence in 1947, won 164 Victoria Crosses. Native troops became eligible for the award under a royal warrant dated 21st October 1911. Prior to this, many acts of bravery by native troops which would have warranted the Victoria Cross were rewarded with the Indian Order of Merit.”

Holders of the award are listed in The National Archives, and citations are announced in the London Gazette.

The youngest recipient was Arthur Fitzgibbon of the Indian Medical establishment . He was 15 years and 3 months at the time of his award in 1861. For further details see Apothecaries

The oldest recipient was William Raynor of the Bengal Veteran Establishment - who was awarded the medal for gallantry during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. He was 61 years old.

Records

The following are held in the National Archives:

• Victoria Cross Register, Volume 1, 20 February 1856 - 6 August 1864 (WO 98/3)
• Victoria Cross Register, Volume 2, 16 August 1864 - 31 January 1900 (WO 98/4)
• Victoria Cross Register, Volume 3, 2 February 1900 - 1 September 1944 (WO 98/8)

FIBIS resources

• Victoria Crosses awarded during the Indian Mutiny

External links

• The Victoria Cross Registers at The National Archives
• Victoria Cross entries London Gazette (search results)
• Iain Stewart’s The Victoria Cross has the following pages in relation to India:

• Honorable East India Company and Indian Army Holders of the Victoria Cross
• Burial Locations in India of Victoria Cross holders

• The Victoria Cross; an official chronicle of the deeds of personal valour achieved in presence of the enemy during the Crimean and Baltic campaigns, the Indian mutinies, and the Persia, China, and New Zealand wars (1865)google books