How many VC winners are still alive?

The Victoria Cross has been awarded 1356 times to 1353 individual recipients….References.

by nationality Australian Canadian English Irish New Zealand Scottish Uncertain
by armed force Royal Navy Royal Air Force Indian Army
by branch of service Artillery Cavalry Royal Engineers Guards Gurkhas Medical

Has anyone been awarded the Victoria Cross and George Cross?

11 women have received the George Cross, four directly and seven after being changed from either the Albert Medal or Empire Gallantry Medal. The most recent woman to receive the GC was Barbara Harrison, an air stewardess who died rescuing passengers after an air crash at Heathrow in 1968.

What is the highest civilian award in UK?

The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy….

George Cross
Awarded for “… acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger.”

How much is a Victoria Cross worth?

Vice-Admiral Gordon Campbell, whose First World War heroics fighting a U-boat earned a Victoria Cross which sold for an auction record £700,000 hammer price (£840,000 with premium) at Morton & Eden in London.

Do you salute a VC winner?

It is not statutory for “all ranks to salute a bearer of the Victoria Cross”: There is no official requirement that appears in the official warrant of the VC, nor in Queen’s Regulations and Orders, but tradition dictates that this occurs and, consequently, senior officers will salute a private awarded a VC or GC.

Who has won a VC twice?

Charles Hazlitt Upham, VC & Bar (21 September 1908 – 22 November 1994) was a New Zealand soldier who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) twice during the Second World War – for gallantry in Crete in May 1941, and in Egypt, in July 1942.

Can a Victoria Cross be taken away?

A Victoria Cross has not been revoked since 1908, and revocations were banned between 1920 and 1991, when Australia’s honours were separated from Britain. Up to 3,000 soldiers could lose of some of their medals, as the whole SAS is expected to be stripped of group citations earned in 2005-2016.

Do you salute the Victoria Cross?

Are you a Sir with an OBE?

While a CBE, OBE and MBE are some of the top ranking honours, only the top two ranks can use the title “Sir” or “Dame”. People awarded a GBE, KBE or DBE can use these titles. The very top rank in the Order is a GBE – a Knight or Dame Grand Cross – but these are very rare. Since 2000, only 16 have been given out.

What is the rarest medal in the world?

The Victoria Cross is the ‘holy grail’ for medal collectors because there are only 1,357 in existence. Bearing the inscription ‘For valour’ and known as a VC, this medal was first awarded for ‘conspicuous bravery’ in 1856 and later backdated to the Crimean war of 1854.

Who owns the most Victoria Crosses?

Billionaire Lord Ashcroft owns the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses – yet he doesn’t know if he has what it takes to win one, the Sunday People reports. “I’ve often reflected on it,” he says.

Has an American ever won the Victoria Cross?

5 men from the United States of America received the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for gallantry, during the First World War.