List of Australian Victoria Cross recipients

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The Australian War Memorial which currently holds 61 VCs.
The Australian War Memorial which currently holds 61 VCs.

The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy"[1] to members of the Australia Armed Forces. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service, and to civilians under military command. Being the highest award in the Australian Honours Order of Precedence, the Victoria Cross takes precedence over all other postnominals and Australian orders and decorations.

The Victoria Cross was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856, initially to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. In 1991 the use of the Victoria Cross was replaced with the Victoria Cross for Australia which was instituted by letters patent in 1991 within the Commonwealth of Australia and Territories. As of October 2007, the Victoria Cross for Australia has never been awarded.[1] Because of its rarity and inherent significance, the VC is highly prized, both as an award and as a collector's item, one medal being sold for over AU$1 million at auction.[2]

The Victoria Cross has been awarded to 96 Australians. Ninety of these were received for actions whilst serving with Australian units. Six were received for actions whilst serving with other units. The majority of the awards were for action in the First World War when a total of 64 medals were awarded. Nine of these awards were for action during the Gallipoli Campaign. 20 medals were awarded for action in the Second World War, 6 in the Second Boer War, 4 in the Vietnam War and 2 in the Russian Civil War.[1] One recipient, Captain Alfred Shout VC MC MID was Australia's most decorated soldier of the Gallipoli campaign. His Victoria Cross was posthumously awarded after Shout died of his wounds after the Battle of Lone Pine.[3]

[edit] Recipients

      This along with the *, indicates that the Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously
AWM = This denotes that the medal is held at the Australian War Memorial

Name Date of action Conflict Unit Place of action Location of medal
Anderson, CharlesCharles Anderson 1942 World War Two 2/19th Battalion Muar River, Malaya AWM
Axford, ThomasThomas Axford 1918 World War One 16th Battalion Hamel Wood, France AWM
Badcoe, PeterPeter Badcoe 1967* Vietnam War Australian Army Training Team Huong Tra, Vietnam
Beatham, RobertRobert Beatham 1918* World War One 8th Battalion Rosiere, France
Bell, FrederickFrederick Bell 1901 Second Boer War West Australia Mounted Infantry Transvaal, South Africa
Birks, FrederickFrederick Birks 1917* World War One 6th Battalion Ypres, Belgium AWM
Bisdee, JohnJohn Bisdee 1900 Second Boer War Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen Transvaal, South Africa
Blackburn, ArthurArthur Blackburn 1916 World War One 10th Battalion Pozières, France AWM
Borella, AlbertAlbert Borella 1918 World War One 26th Battalion Villers-Bretonneux, France
Brown, WalterWalter Brown 1918 World War One 20th Battalion Villers-Bretonneux, France AWM
Buckley, AlexanderAlexander Buckley 1918* World War One 54th Battalion Péronne, France AWM
Buckley, MauriceMaurice Buckley 1918 World War One 13th Battalion Le Verguier, France AWM
Bugden, PatrickPatrick Bugden 1917* World War One 31st Battalion Zonnebeke, Belgium
Burton, AlexanderAlexander Burton 1915* World War One 7th Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Carroll, JohnJohn Carroll 1917 World War One 33rd Battalion St. Yves, Belgium AWM
Cartwright, GeorgeGeorge Cartwright 1918 World War One 33rd Battalion Bouchavesnes, France
Castleton, ClaudeClaude Castleton 1916* World War One Australian Machine Gun Corps Pozières, France AWM
Cherry, PercyPercy Cherry 1917* World War One 26th Battalion Lagnicourt, France AWM
Chowne, AlbertAlbert Chowne 1945* World War Two 2/2nd Battalion Dagua, New Guinea AWM
Cooke, ThomasThomas Cooke 1916* World War One 8th Battalion Pozières, France
Currey, WilliamWilliam Currey 1918 World War One 53rd Battalion Péronne, France AWM
Cutler, ArthurArthur Cutler 1941 World War Two 2/5th Field Regiment, RRoAA Merdjayoun-Damour, Lebanon AWM
Dalziel, HenryHenry Dalziel 1918 World War One 15th Battalion Hamel Wood, France
Dartnell, WilburWilbur Dartnell 1915* World War One 25th (Service) Battalion RF Maktau, Kenya AWM
Davey, PhilipPhilip Davey 1918 World War One 10th Battalion Merris, France AWM
Derrick, ThomasThomas Derrick 1943 World War Two 2/48th Battalion Sattelberg, New Guinea AWM
Dunstan, WilliamWilliam Dunstan 1915 World War One 7th Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Dwyer, JohnJohn Dwyer 1917 World War One Australian Machine Gun Corps Zonnebeke, Belgium AWM
Edmondson, JohnJohn Edmondson 1941* World War Two 2/17th Battalion Tobruk, Libya AWM
Edwards, HughieHughie Edwards 1941 World War Two No. 105 Squadron RAF Bremen, Germany AWM
French, JohnJohn French 1942* World War Two 2/9th Battalion Milne Bay, Papua
Gaby, AlfredAlfred Gaby 1918* World War One 28th Battalion Villers-Bretonneux, France
Gordon, BernardBernard Gordon 1918 World War One 41st Battalion Bray, France AWM
Gordon, JamesJames Gordon 1941 World War Two 2/31st Battalion Djezzine, Syria
Gratwick, PercivalPercival Gratwick 1942* World War Two 2/4th Battalion El Alamein, Egypt
Grieve, RobertRobert Grieve 1917 World War One 37th Battalion Messines, Belgium
Gurney, ArthurArthur Gurney 1942* World War Two 2/48th Battalion Tel-el-Eisa, Egypt AWM
Hall, ArthurArthur Hall 1918 World War One 54th Battalion Péronne, France AWM
Hamilton, JohnJohn Hamilton 1915 World War One 3rd Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Howell, GeorgeGeorge Howell 1917 World War One 1st Battalion Bullecourt, France
Howse, NevilleNeville Howse 1900 Second Boer War New South Wales Medical Staff Corps Vredefort, South Africa AWM
Ingram, GeorgeGeorge Ingram 1918 World War One 24th Battalion Montbrehain, France
Inwood, ReginaldReginald Inwood 1917 World War One 10th Battalion Polygon Wood, Belgium
Jacka, AlbertAlbert Jacka 1915 World War One 14th Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Jackson, WilliamWilliam Jackson 1916 World War One 17th Battalion Armentieres, France
Jeffries, Clarence SmithClarence Smith Jeffries 1917* World War One 34th Battalion Passchendaele, Belgium
Jensen, Joergen ChristianJoergen Christian Jensen 1917 World War One 50th Battalion Noreuil, France AWM
Joynt, WilliamWilliam Joynt 1918 World War One 8th Battalion Herleville Wood, France
Kelliher, RichardRichard Kelliher 1943 World War Two 2/25th Battalion Nadzab, New Guinea AWM
Kenna, EdwardEdward Kenna 1945 World War Two 2/4th Battalion Wewak, New Guinea
Kenny, ThomasThomas Kenny 1917 World War One 2nd Battalion Hermies, France AWM
Keysor, LeonardLeonard Keysor 1915 World War One 1st Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Kibby, WilliamWilliam Kibby 1942* World War Two 2/48th Battalion El Alamein, Egypt AWM
Kingsbury, BruceBruce Kingsbury 1942* World War Two 2/14th Battalion Isurava, Papua AWM
Leak, JohnJohn Leak 1916 World War One 9th Battalion Pozières, France
Lowerson, AlbertAlbert Lowerson 1918 World War One 21st Battalion Mont St. Quentin, France AWM
MacKey, JohnJohn MacKey 1945* World War Two 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion Tarakan Island, Borneo AWM
MacTier, RobertRobert MacTier 1918* World War One 23rd Battalion Mont St. Quentin, France AWM
Maxwell, JosephJoseph Maxwell 1918 World War One 18th Battalion Estrees, France AWM
Maygar, LeslieLeslie Maygar 1901 Second Boer War 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles Geelhoutboom, South Africa AWM
McCarthy, LawrenceLawrence McCarthy 1918 World War One 16th Battalion Madam Wood, France AWM
McDougall, StanleyStanley McDougall 1918 World War One 47th Battalion Dernancourt, France AWM
McGee, LewisLewis McGee 1917* World War One 40th Battalion Ypres, Belgium
McNamara, FrankFrank McNamara 1917 World War One No. 1 Squadron RAAF Tel el Hesi, Palestine
Middleton, RawdonRawdon Middleton 1942* World War Two RAAF attached No. 149 Squadron RAF Turin, Italy AWM
Moon, RupertRupert Moon 1917 World War One 58th Battalion Bullecourt, France AWM
Murray, HarryHarry Murray 1917 World War One 13th Battalion Gueudecourt, France
Newland, JamesJames Newland 1917 World War One 12th Battalion Bapaume, France AWM
Newton, WilliamWilliam Newton 1943* World War Two No. 22 Squadron RAAF New Guinea AWM
O'Meara, MartinMartin O'Meara 1916 World War One 16th Battalion Pozières, France
Partridge, FrankFrank Partridge 1945 World War Two 8th (Militia) Battalion Bougainville, New Guinea
Payne, KeithKeith Payne 1969 Vietnam War Australian Army Training Team Ben Het, Vietnam
Pearse, SamuelSamuel Pearse 1919 North Russia Relief Force 45th Battalion, RF Emtsa, Russia
Peeler, WalterWalter Peeler 1917 World War One 3rd Pioneer Battalion Ypres, Belgium AWM
Pope, CharlesCharles Pope 1917* World War One 11th Battalion Louveral, France AWM
Rattey, ReginaldReginald Rattey 1945 World War Two 25th Battalion Bougainville, New Guinea
Rogers, JamesJames Rogers 1901 Second Boer War South African Constabulary Thaba 'Nchu, South Africa AWM
Ruthven, WilliamWilliam Ruthven 1918 World War One 22nd Battalion Ville-sur-Ancre, France AWM
Ryan, JohnJohn Ryan 1918 World War One 55th Battalion, (N.S.W.) Hindenberg Defences, France AWM
Sadlier, CliffordClifford Sadlier 1918 World War One 51st Battalion Villers-Bretonneux, France
Shout, AlfredAlfred Shout 1915 World War One 1st Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Simpson, RayeneRayene Simpson 1969 Vietnam War Australian Army Training Team Kontum Province, Vietnam AWM
Starcevich, LeslieLeslie Starcevich 1945 World War Two 2/43rd Battalion Beaufort, British North Borneo
Statton, PercyPercy Statton 1918 World War One 40th Battalion Proyart, France AWM
Storkey, PercyPercy Storkey 1918 World War One 19th Battalion Hangard Wood, France
Sullivan, ArthurArthur Sullivan 1919 Russian Civil War 45th Battalion, RF Sheika River, Russia AWM
Symons, WilliamWilliam Symons 1915 World War One 7th Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Throssell, HugoHugo Throssell 1915 World War One 10th Light Horse Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Towner, EdgarEdgar Towner 1918 World War One Australian Machine Gun Corps Mont St. Quentin, France
Tubb, FrederickFrederick Tubb 1915 World War One 7th Battalion Gallipoli, Turkey AWM
Wark, BlairBlair Wark 1918 World War One 32nd Battalion Bellicourt, France
Weathers, LawrenceLawrence Weathers 1918 World War One 43rd Battalion Peronne, France
Wheatley, KevinKevin Wheatley 1965* Vietnam War Australian Army Training Team Tra Bong, Vietnam AWM
Whittle, JohnJohn Whittle 1917 World War One 12th Battalion Boursies, France
Woods, JamesJames Woods 1918 World War One 48th Battalion Le Verguier, France AWM
Wylly, GuyGuy Wylly 1900 Second Boer War Tasmanian Imperial Bushmen Warm Baths, South Africa

[edit] References

General
Specific
  1. ^ a b c VC for Australia (PDF). Australian Government. Retrieved on 2007-07-02.
  2. ^ "Gallipoli VC medal sets auction record", The Age, 2006-07-24. Retrieved on 2007-01-30. 
  3. ^ Bravery awards at Gallipoli. Australian Government, Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
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