The Victoria Cross, which is commonly referred to as the VC, is the highest military decoration in the British honours system and takes precedence over every other order and medal. Queen Victoria introduced the medal to reward ‘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 extensive reporting of the Crimean War by journalists such as William Howard Russell had highlighted a range of acts of bravery that deserved formal recognition, and contributed greatly to the introduction of the Victoria Cross. At the end of January 1856, shortly before Russia accepted preliminary peace terms to end the Crimean War, Prince Albert encouraged Queen Victoria to create a new military award that did not discriminate against birth or class.

The VC medals themselves were reputed to be cast from metal taken from cannon captured from Russian forces at the Siege of Sevastopol. Metallurgical research has since identified that the original cannon were of Chinese origin and had been captured by the Russians in 1855, while later medals have been found to contain metal from some other sources.

The first presentation ceremony of the medals took place on 26 June 1857. As of January 2022, a total of 1,358 VCs have been awarded. Beginning in 1947 almost all Commonwealth countries began to introduce their own separate honours for gallantry and bravery.

The VC is explicitly awarded for valour in the face of the enemy. The equivalent but newer George Cross is awarded for equivalent acts of valour by civilians or by members of the armed forces who would not normally be awarded a military honour for their actions.

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