Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for acts of bravery in wartime. It was instituted in 1856 by Queen Victoria and made retrospective to 1854 to cover the period of the Crimean War. It is possible for any serving member of the armed forces to obtain this award.

The Victoria Cross was designed, according to the original warrant for the award, to be in the form of the “Maltese Cross”. Its shape, however, more closely resembles a cross pattée. In the centre of the medal is a lion guardant standing upon the Royal Crown. The words "For valour" are inscribed below. The Victoria Cross is suspended from a crimson ribbon. On the reverse of the cross the date of the act of bravery is inscribed, along with the name, rank, and unit of the recipient.

The Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial honours the one hundred and one Australians who have received the Victoria Cross and the nine Australian Defence personnel who have directly received the George Cross.

A comprehensive list of Victoria Cross Recipients is available on the Anzac Portal of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Victoria Crosses held at the Memorial

Name	Year
Axford, T.L.	1918
Anderson, C.G.W.	1942
Baird, C.S.	2013
Birks, F.	1917
Blackburn, A.S.	1916
Brown, W.E.	1918
Buckley, A.H.	1918
Buckley, M.V.	1918
Burton, A.S.	1915
Carroll, J.	1917
Castleton, C.C.	1916
Cherry, P.H.	1917
Chowne, A.	1945
Currey, W.M.	1918
Cutler, A.R.	1941
Dalziel, H.	1918
Dartnell, W.T.	1915
Davey, P.	1918
Derrick, T.C.	1943
Donaldson, M. G.	2008
Dunstan, W.	1915
Dwyer, J.J.	1917
Edmondson, J.H.	1941
Edwards, H.I.	1941
Gordon, B.S.	1918
Grady, T.	1854 (British)
Gurney, A.S.	1942
Hall, A.C.	1918
Hamilton, J.	1915
Holbrook, N.D.	1914 (British)
Howell, G.J.	1917
Howse, N.R.	1900
Ingram, G.M.	1918
Jacka, A.	1915
Jensen, J.C.	1917
Keighran, D. A.	2010
Kenny, T.J.B.	1917
Kelliher, R.	1943
Keysor, L.M.	1915
Kibby, W.H.	1942
Kingsbury, B.S.	1942
Lowerson, A.D.	1918
Mackey, J.B.	1945
Mactier, R.	1918
Maxwell, J.	1918
Maygar, L.C.	1901
McCarthy, L.D.	1918
McDougall, S.R.	1918
Middleton, R.H.	1942
Moon, R.V.	1917
Newland, J.E.	1917
Newton, W.E.	1943
Pearse, S.G.	1919
Peeler, W.	1917
Pope, C.	1917
Roberts-Smith, B.	2010
Rogers, J.	1901
Ruthven, W.	1918
Ryan, J.	1918
Shout, A.J.	1915
Simpson, R.S.	1969
Statton, P.C.	1918
Sullivan, A.P.	1919
Symons, W.J.	1915
Throssell, H.V.H.	1915
Tubb, F.H.	1915
Weather, L.C.	1918
Wheatley, K.A.	1965
Whirlpool, F.	1858 (British)
Whittle, J. W.	1917
Woods, J.P.	1918

Further Information

- Search for Recommendations for honours and awards made to Australian forces during the Boer War, First World War, Second World War, Korean War, Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation and the Vietnam War
- Peter Burness, ‘Inspirational Bravery’, Wartime 32, 2005
- The Hall of Valour
- Australia's Gallipoli Victoria Crosses (Australian War Memorial blog)
- This company of brave men : the Gallipoli VCs
- Victoria Cross for Australia (Defence Honours and Awards)