For Valour

A year had passed since the Crimean War before an official award was one of its outcomes. Those primarily responsible for its appearance were Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert. Till then the nearest equivalent was the Order of the Bath, but only ever made to senior officers. For the ordinary soldiers there was nothing, no recommendation at all - only a simple campaign medal if he survived. In December 1854 Captain Thomas Scobell, an ex-naval officer, now a Liberal MP, put a motion before the House on the subject of a special medal, to be awarded to any Army or Navy serviceman, irrespective of rank, provided he'd faced the enemy in combat with outstanding bravery and gallantry. The same idea had occurred to the Duke of Newcastle, who in January 1855 wrote to Prince Albert, reminding him of a conversation they'd had on this subject. The Duke followed this up with a speech in the House of Lords, and at roughly the same time a memorandum was circulated in the War Office, with details of a cross to be given for "a signal act of bravery in the presence of the enemy". In its final form that was the Victoria Cross, which bore the inscription "For valour".The medal was created by royal warrant in January 1856, backdated to 1854 in recognition of valour during the Crimean War. The very first award ceremony took place on 26th June 1857. In this present publication author Wallis Peel pays her greatest respect yet to her adopted and beloved Gloucestershire, chronicling the courageous deeds of servicemen associated with the county, and who received the Victoria Cross. A broad historical introduction is followed by a roll call of names, with the bulk of the booklet describing the individual acts of heroism resulting in each award. "For Valour" is a valuable addition to the chronicles of a county rich in history.