First "VC for Australia" awarded

[UQWozza]

Last week we had an historic event in Australia. A seviceman has been awarded the first Victoria Cross for almost 40 years.

• VC instituted 1854 by Queen Victoria
• awarded to 96 australians
• 64 in WW1
• 2 in North Russia 1919
• 20 in WW2
• 4 in Vietnam war
• as a mark of respect senior officers must salute a VC recipient
• VC for Australia instituted in 1991 to replace the imperial medal

The imperial medal was instituted during the Crimean war and the medal is made from a Chinese-made cannon captured in Sevastapol. What is left of the metal is kept at the army base DSDC Donnington, in Telford, Shropshire. Today, there is only enough metal left for 80 more medals. The London jewellers Hancocks, based in the Burlington Arcade in London, make the medals. The bronze has always been unstable to work with as it has already been worked on when the cannon was made. Hancock’s have seven medals in storage (without the name and rank of the recipient and date on the back). In World War Two, Hancock’s charged the armed forces the equivalent of £1.50 for a medal.

Not sure what the new australian version is made from.

Trooper Donaldson is the first recipient of the new form of the medal. He deliberately exposed himself to enemy machine-gun and RPG fire during a Taliban ambush near Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan. Donaldson engaged the enemy with 66 & 84 mm anti-armour weapons and his M4 carbine, allowing the removal of numerous wounded comrades. As the patrol made a fighting retreat Donaldson realised that an Afghani interpreter had been left behind. He left cover, attracted heavy machinegun fire, and ran 80m to the injured man. He picked him up and returned to the patrol, under heavy fire all the time.

A very brave Digger!!!!

Simon

[jefflgarrison]

Very worthy of the award!

[Art]

congratulations to him. Well done.

[Norm Braddock]

Outstanding! Congrats to him-very well deserved!

N

[desantnik]

Well done.