Canadian Victoria Cross Winners

• Canadian participation & casualty rates
• Unusual VC facts
• Canadians who won the VC in non-Canadian Units
• Foreign born "Canadian" VC winners

• (*) Canada's only living VC Winner
  
• (**) Canada's first VC Winner
  At a ceremony in June 1857, Dunn and about 60 other Crimean War
  veterans became the first recipients of the new Victoria Cross
  
• (***) First coloured man to win a VC

The following 4 Victoria Cross Winners were Canadians, but were serving in Other Army Units at the time of their VC act.

Recipient	Year	Location	Regiment	Army
CRUICKSHANK, Robert Edward	1918	Jordan, Palestine	London	British
NICKERSON, William Henry Snyder	1900	Wakkerstroom, South Africa	Medical	British
RICKETTS, Thomas (*)	1918	Ledeghem, Belgium	Newfoundland	British
SINTON, John Alexander	1916	Orah Ruins, Mesopotamia	Medical	Indian

• (*) Newfoundland did not enter Confederation until 1949

The following 6 Victoria Cross Winners were serving with the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in WWI when awarded their VC, but were foreign born. They are 'considered' to be Canadians at the time of their VC act

Recipient	Year	Location	Nationality	Regiment
DINESEN, Thomas	1918	Parvillers, France	Danish	Quebec
HUTCHESON, Bellenden	1918	Queant Line, France	American	Medical
KONOWAL, Filip	1917	Lens, France	Ukranian	B.C.
METCALF, William Henry	1918	Arras, France	American	Canadian Scottish
MULLEN, George Harry	1917	Passchendaele, Belgium France	American	Eastern Ont.
ZENGEL, Raphael Louis	1918	Warvillers, France	American	Saskatchewan

SPECIAL CONNECTION TO CANADA #1 VICTORIA CROSS WINNER KILLED IN CANADA

Scottish born Robert Gordon McBEATH, was only 19 years old when he won his Victoria Cross in Cambrai, France during the 1917 battle of the Somme, while serving with his Scottish Seaforth Highlanders Regiment. After the war (1921) he came to Canada with his wife, and settled in Vancouver, BC, where he joined the BC Provincial Police, and later the Vancouver City Police. In October 1922, Cst. McBeath was fatally shot while attempting to make a routine arrest. His ashes are buried in Mountain View Crematorium, Vancouver, BC. A Vancouver Police Marine vessel is named the "R.C. McBeath VC" in his honour.

SPECIAL CONNECTION TO CANADA #2 VICTORIA CROSS WON FOR BRAVERY IN CANADA

A Victoria Cross was awarded to 20 year old Pte. Timothy O'HEA, who was a member of the 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own). The Irish soldier was serving with the British Army in Danville, Quebec on June 9, 1866, when a railway car containing 2000 pounds of ammunition caught fire. He quickly took charge, opened the locked railcar, and with the help of others brought the fire under control. His Victoria Cross was unusual in that it was awarded for bravery in Canada, and not in a war action.

UNUSUAL COINCIDENCE IN CANADA; THREE VICTORIA CROSS WINNERS LIVED ON SAME STREET

Leo CLARKE, Frederick HALL and Robert SHANKLAND all lived on the same street, Pine Street, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is believed to be the only street in the world to have three Victoria Cross winners who lived there. The city of Winnipeg has now renamed the street Valour Road in honour of the three VC winners. A bronze plaque has been mounted on a street lamp to tell this interesting story.

Facts about the Victoria Cross

"It is ordained that the Cross shall only be awarded for most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy."

The Victoria Cross is the highest decoration that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

The VC was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1856 but was made retrospective to the Autumn of 1854 to cover the period of the Crimean War. There have been several amending warrants since then.

The Victoria Cross has been bestowed 1354 times since 1854. 91 have been awarded to native-born Canadians.

It can only be bestowed for actions "in the presence of the enemy" (although from 1858 to 1881 an amendment allowed for awards "under circumstances of extreme danger". Six awards were made under these conditions).

Each VC is still made by the same London jewelers, Messrs Hancocks from the bronze of Chinese cannons captured from the Russians at the siege of Sebastopol (remaining ingots of which are stored at the Army's Central Ordnance Depot at Donnington).

There is now a requirement for at least three witnesses, who must make sworn written statements as to the exact circumstances of the action involved.

It was not until 1920 that an official amendment was made allowing the VC to be awarded posthumously (after death).

Until 1977 it was the only British decoration (apart from a Mention in Despatches) that could be awarded posthumously.

It is not just a British award, but also a Commonwealth one; it was extended to members of the Colonial Forces in New Zealand and other parts of the Empire in 1867 and to the officers and men of the Indian Army in 1911.

There is no barrier of colour, creed, sex or rank (unlike many military decorations which have different types for officers and other ranks).

It has been estimated that the chance of surviving a Victoria Cross act is only 1-in-10.

The largest number of VCs won in a single day was 24 at the second relief of Lucknow on 16 Nov 1857 during the Indian Mutiny.

Fourteen men, not born British or Commonwealth citizens, have received the VC: five Americans, one Belgian, three Danes, two Germans, one Swede, one Swiss and one Ukrainian. (see above for those considered to be Canadians)

The ribbon was originally red for the Army and blue for the Royal Navy but when the Royal Air Force was formed in 1918 it was changed to red for all the services.

The top British units for recipients are the Royal Artillery with 51, the Royal Engineers with 41, and then the Royal Army Medical Corps and the Rifle Brigade with 27 each.

Since 1916 miniature VCs have been worn instead of the full-sized medals with evening dress or mess dress.

The Victoria Cross is still awarded only by Royal assent and is presented by the Monarch.

On the front of the VC reads the inscription "For Valour", and the hand engraved details of the recipient on the back (name, rank, number, unit and the date of the action).

Since 1945 the VC has been awarded only 11 times of which six have been given posthumously: Korea 1951-53 - 4; Sarawak 1965 - 1; Vietnam 1966-69 - 4; Falklands - 1982 - 2

Canada instituted its own Honours and Awards some time ago and the VC remained the highest award. However, the motto FOR VALOUR was changed to the latin PRO VALORE, although the Canadian Victoria Cross still needs full royal assent from the Queen to be awarded. No new Canadian VCs have been awarded.

The Victoria Cross for Australia was established on 15 Jan 1991 as the highest Australian operational gallantry award. It supersedes the Victoria Cross instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856 but is physically identical and carries the same award criteria. No Australian VCs have been awarded.

Lesser awards (only in terms of the VC) for meritorious service or gallantry are: the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and Military Cross (MC) for officers and the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) and the Military Medal (MM) for other ranks. These have been awarded for deeds which earlier might have merited a VC.

It is worth remembering that many servicemen who merited the Victoria Cross never received it because their brave actions went unnoticed, or the witnesses were killed, or whose self-sacrifice resulted in a lonely death in an unmarked grave. This is true no matter what the nationality of the person and is the reason why the tomb of a nation's unknown warrior usually has the highest gallantry decoration bestowed upon it.

Canadian participation and casualty rates

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