Separating myth from man is difficult to do. Never is that truer than among those who have earned the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest military medal, in the face of immense odds. Of some 1,358 Victoria Crosses awarded, nearly 100 Canadians have received the distinguished honour. This special issue highlights the incredible tales of select Canadians who displayed valour in the presence of the enemy, revealing their stories, their legacies, and their humanity.
The heroism displayed by soldiers during the Crimean War’s Charge of the Light Brigade helped spark the creation of a new military medal for the Commonwealth, one that would recognize extraordinary wartime deeds, regardless of rank. Since the inception of the Victoria Cross in 1856, up to 99 Canadians have earned the prestigious medal.
From the earliest overseas conflicts in which Canadians served, they have distinguished themselves for their bravery. During the Indian Rebellion, a surgeon trades his scalpel for a sword to breach the walls of Delhi, while a Black Nova Scotian in the British Royal Navy plays a pivotal role in the relief of Lucknow. At the turn of the 20st century, a Mountie serving in the Boer War pulls his comrade to safety under enemy fire.
The Great War saw 628 Victoria Crosses awarded in total, with a little more than 70 to Canadians. In the air, an 18-year-old pilot takes on the Red Baron’s Flying Circus, becoming one of three Canadian pilots to earn the VC in this conflict. On the water, a sailor with poor eyesight but immense courage saves three from the wreckage of their sunken ship in Belgium’s Ostend Canal in full view of the Germans. On the ground, a private in the Black Watch forges ahead despite his wounds during the Battle of Amiens.
By the end of WW II, the Victoria Cross had become statistically harder to earn, however some 16 Canadians managed to earn the bronze. A Prince Edward Islander displays the utmost bravery and duty during a failed naval assault on a French-Algerian port, while a Toronto-raised pilot uses his last breath to keep up morale, as he and his crew cling to a dingy in the middle of the North Atlantic. And a tanker wreaks havoc for 36 hours on a German assault in the Falaise Pocket in France.
As more military accolades have become available for soldiers of all ranks displaying bravery, fewer VCs have been awarded during its 170-year history. Compounding the difficulty of bearing bronze, is the reality that a courageous exploit unwitnessed is a courageous exploit unsung. Still, the respect commanded by the Victoria Cross is transcendent. Beneath that medal is something more, speaking not to the heart of heroes, but heroism.
© Canvet Publications Ltd.
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