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ALBERT Jacka is regarded as one of Australia's finest soldiers. His exploits at Gallipoli and on the Western Front are legendary, and he was the first Australian in World War I to be awarded the Victoria Cross. Clearly honoured and smiling broadly, his great nephew Simon Jacka, 25, yesterday became the first in the family to join the military since his famous ancestor almost a century ago. "I am proud to serve the nation as a member of the Australian Defence Force," hesaid. "Formally joining the army was a proud moment for the family. I am continuing the association between...

SEVEN Network boss Kerry Stokes will return a Victoria Cross awarded to one of the country's greatest war heroes to the Australian War Memorial. The media mogul and the South Australian Government were yesterday revealed as the mystery bidders of the medal, which sold at auction in Sydney for $488,000. It is the third Victoria Cross Mr Stokes has bought at auction and returned to the War Memorial since 2006, spending almost $2 million to save the pieces of Australia's history from being lost to the public. Carey Badcoe, daughter of Adelaide-born digger Major Peter Badcoe, was happy her father's...

A VICTORIA Cross medal from the Vietnam War has sold for $488,000 at auction in Sydney as part of a collection of 12 medals and memorabilia. The medal was awarded to Adelaide-born Major Peter Badcoe for a series of heroic actions during the Vietnam War in 1967. The Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth's highest decoration for gallantry, was sold to an anonymous buyer, but will remain in Sydney, the auctioneer said. Three bidders were in the race to buy the medals, with spirited bidding starting at $300,000 in Bonhams & Goodman's auction house in Double Bay tonight. Bonhams & Goodman chairman...

FOUR weeks ago, auction house chairman Tim Goodman received a call from a wealthy client in the US. The businessman, a passionate military memorabilia collector, had learned that medals and frontline archival material belonging to Australian army Major Peter Badcoe, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1967, would feature in Bonhams and Goodman's May auction, to be held in Sydney on Tuesday. The collector told Mr Goodman he intended to bid for the Badcoe collection, which includes the only Vietnam War VC medal still in private hands and awarded to Major Badcoe posthumously. The estimated price for the...

A Royal Marine who threw himself onto an exploding grenade to save the lives of his patrol has been put forward for the UK's highest military honour. Lance Corporal Matt Croucher, 24, a reservist from Birmingham, survived because his rucksack and body armour took the force of the blast. He was part of a reconnaissance troop in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February, when the incident happened. The Ministry of Defence said he could be considered for the Victoria Cross.

Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung, VC Gurkha who was decorated for his courage and skill in capturing a Japanese position in fierce hand-to-hand fighting Havildar Bhanbhagta Gurung, VC Bhanbhagta Gurung won his Victoria Cross in Burma in 1945. His action was the culmination of a series of extraordinarily gallant actions by this soldier of quite exceptional courage, yet it occurred while he was in disgrace, albeit unjustly. Born in the hill village of Phalbu in western Nepal, he was recruited into the old Indian Army soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, and joined 3rd Battalion 2nd King Edward VII’s...

The medal was awarded to 21 New Zealanders Nine rare and valuable Victoria Cross (VC) medals awarded for acts of extreme bravery in combat have been stolen from a military museum in New Zealand.The thieves managed to evade security patrols, cameras and an alarm when they broke into the Army Museum in Waiouru on North Island early on Sunday. Defence Minister Phil Goff called the raid "a crime against the nation". Military officials estimate the medals are worth millions of dollars, but say they will be difficult to sell. The Victoria Cross, inscribed "For valour", is the highest honour...

That the award of two more Victoria Crosses should even be under consideration says a good deal about our campaign in Afghanistan. No other nation has produced a medal so prized. This unprepossessing gun-metal cross, with its simple two-word inscription, is the supreme award that a soldier can win. By tradition, officers and men of all ranks salute its holder. Only 14 VCs have been awarded since the end of the Second World War; two of these (one the New Zealand version) were won in Afghanistan. The citations for the two latest candidates read like episodes from a war film....

Two British soldiers from the same battalion have been nominated for the Victoria Cross in recognition of their incredible bravery in the face of the enemy. The citations for Britain's highest gallantry award came after the men were involved in fierce fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The first is Captain David Hicks – who would become the first officer to win the VC since Falklands hero Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones. The second is believed to be Lance-Corporal Oliver 'Teddy' Ruecker, 20. Last month Capt Hicks, 26, refused morphine when mortally wounded in order to lead a counter-attack against a...

Double VC for Afghan heroes First officer to receive citation since Falklands by MARK NICOL - More by this author » Last updated at 00:27am on 2nd September 2007  Two British soldiers from the same battalion have been nominated for the Victoria Cross in recognition of their incredible bravery in the face of the enemy.  The citations for Britain's highest gallantry award came after the men were involved in fierce fighting against the Taliban in Afghanistan. The first is Captain David Hicks – who would become the first officer to win the VC since Falklands hero Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H'...

Our Troops Rock!  Thank you for all you do!   For the freedom you enjoyed yesterday... Thank the Veterans who served in The United States Armed Forces.   Looking forward to tomorrow's freedom? Support The United States Armed Forces Today!     ~ Hall of Heroes ~CPT Charles Hazlitt Upham VC             Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham VC and bar (September 21, 1908 - November 22, 1994) was a New Zealand solider who won the Victoria Cross twice during World War II. Earning the Victoria Cross and Bar for outstanding gallantry and leadership in Crete in May...

Kiwi wins medal in Iraq The Nelson Mail | Wednesday, 25 July 2007 A Kiwi soldier who returned to Iraq on a second tour of duty has been awarded one of Britain's highest military awards for bravery under fire. Corporal Terry Knights - a former territorial solder in New Zealand - has been honoured with the Military Cross for bravery and leadership. The recognition is bitter-sweet for the soldier, who serves with the British Royal Marines. He returned home this month for his mother's funeral. His father John Knights, of Motueka, said he was very proud of his son. "When...

THE attack came under cover of darkness. Without warning, rocket-propelled grenades slammed into two of the New Zealand SAS troop vehicles, the force of the blast throwing Lance Corporal Willy Apiata to the ground and wounding two of his fellow soldiers. One of the men, members of an SAS patrol in Afghanistan in 2004, was bleeding heavily after shrapnel had severed an artery, and was lapsing in and out of consciousness. Without immediate medical assistance, the soldier, identified only as Corporal D, would have died. The three men were isolated, pinned down by machinegun and rifle fire from an estimated...

A NEW Zealand soldier has become the first person since World War II to be awarded the country's highest honour for bravery, after a daring rescue of a wounded comrade in Afghanistan in 2004. ACorporal Bill Apiata of the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS) was given the Victoria Cross for New Zealand. The medal is based on Britain's Victoria Cross, the highest decoration for British soldiers. Prime Minister Helen Clark said Cpl Apiata, 35, was awarded the medal for carrying a severely wounded soldier across open ground while coming under heavy fire. Cpl Apiata's patrol came under attack from...

TED Kenna's skin hung from his bones and he stank of rotting flesh when Marjorie Rushberry first laid eyes on him in June 1945. For the young nurse, it was not love at first sight, but horror. The wounded soldier's face was torn apart, with entry and exit holes in the cheek where a bullet had ripped through flesh and then ricocheted off teeth, reversing and entering the young private's chest. It did not strike Miss Rushberry that this could be exactly the kind of Casanova her father had warned her about. "Be careful of those boys, you know what...

    Honour ... widow Lorena holds VC at palace Queen: Always be proud of him By TOM NEWTON DUNN Defence EditorMarch 08, 2007           THE Queen presented the widow of hero Para Bryan Budd with his Victoria Cross yesterday — telling her: “Always be proud of him.”  Cpl Budd, 29, died during a brave lone charge at Taliban fighters in the southern Afghan badlands.He freed up his stricken section to escape an ambush by killing three enemy at point-blank range before being gunned down himself.Widow Lorena, 23, received the cherished medal — only the second given...

A BRITISH soldier posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in Afghanistan may have been shot dead by his comrades. Father of two Corporal Bryan Budd, 29, of the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, was killed as he stormed a Taliban position single-handedly in Helmand, trying to protect seven of his colleagues from heavy fire. His widow Lorena, 23, a clerk with the Royal Artillery, is due to collect his posthumous VC from the Queen at Buckingham Palace next month. She has been told his death may have been caused by "friendly fire", The Sun reported last night. She...

   EXCLUSIVE    Fallen hero set for VC honour   Brave ... Cpl Bryan Budd saved his pals   By TOM NEWTON DUNN Defence EditorOCTOBER 16, 2006  HERO Para Cpl Bryan Budd was cut down by a hail of Taliban bullets as he took on a group of the fanatics alone, it was revealed last night.  Full details of his extraordinary actions were described for the first time by a comrade.And it was confirmed that senior officers want the corporal’s extreme valour to be marked with a posthumous Victoria Cross.It would be only the second to be awarded in 24...

AUSTRALIA'S last privately owned Victoria Cross medal awarded at Gallipoli has sold at auction tonight in Sydney for a world record $1 million. Lot 1078 was purchased by a prominent Australian who wishes to remain anonymous and who bid over the phone. The medal, awarded posthumously to New Zealand-born Australian soldier Captain Alfred Shout, was sold by his grandson, 67-year-old Graham Thomas. Auctioneer Tim Goodman, of Bonhams and Goodman auction house, told the crowd it was hoped the medal would soon end up on public display. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new world auction record for a medal," Mr...

Unseemly squabble over Upham VCs needs compromise 22 April 2006 It is unfortunate that the fate of Charles Upham's Victoria Crosses involves a public spat, writes The Press in an editorial. The legacy of so honourable a man should not be exposed to such a wretched dispute. Upham, in death as he was in life, is the epitome of the brave and honourable New Zealander _ a man who twice displayed conspicuous gallantry in the face of the enemy and lived the rest of his life in unassuming modesty. He counted his own survival as inconsequential in the fight for...

Pointless to put 2006 peace-time values on 1941 battle bravery 12 April 2006 The Battle of Crete took place in late May 1941, when 30,000 Allied troops, including 7700 New Zealanders, plus 12,000 Greek soldiers – driven from Greece by the invading Germany forces – hurriedly dug in against an assault that they knew was as inevitable as it would be ferocious, says the Taranaki Daily News. The Mediterranean island, with its port and airfield, was of huge strategic value – to shore up the German hold on Greece, to protect the Romanian oil fields the Germans had already grabbed,...

Victoria Cross winner Keith Payne takes great pride in helping mould Australia's "leaders of tomorrow". So it was a humbling experience for the 72-year-old Vietnam War veteran to learn that he had been honoured in the Australia Day awards for doing just that. Mr Payne has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to cadet and veterans groups around the country. Mr Payne, from Mackay in central Queensland, said it was important for older generations to guide the country's future leaders. "They're our bread and butter for the future," Mr Payne said. "They've got...

Havildar who fought off three attacks by Japanese infantry and set a supreme example of gallantry AS A havildar (sergeant), Umrao Singh was the only non-commissioned officer of either the Royal Artillery or the Indian Artillery to be awarded the Victoria Cross in the Second World War. Forward observation officers are frequently at great personal risk when in exposed positions so as to direct artillery fire in support of armoured or infantry units. But Singh won his award for valour in what all gunners regard as their near-sacred duty — defence of the guns. By the end of 1944, General...

Hero's farewell for 'Smokey' Crowd braves heat to honour last surviving winner of Victoria Cross Norma Greenaway, with files from Vito Pilieci The Ottawa Citizen; with files from The Canadian Press August 10, 2005 CREDIT: Fred Chartrand, The Canadian Press War veteran Benjamin Regalbuto salutes as he pays his respects to Victoria Cross recipient Smokey Smith on Parliament Hill yesterday. Victoria Cross recipient Ernest (Smokey) Smith was honoured yesterday as no other veteran has been, getting a war hero's farewell on Parliament Hill that had scores of people lining up in blistering heat to pay their final respects. Against the...

Sergeant “Smoky” Smith, who died in Vancouver on Wednesday aged 91, was the last surviving Canadian holder of the VC. On the night of October 21 1944, two companies of the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada crossed the Savio River in Italy, and seized a shallow bridgehead in drenching rain. In less than five hours, the river rose six feet to become a raging torrent, impassable to supporting tanks and anti-tank guns.Early next morning, the thinly held right flank of the Seaforths was attacked by three Panther tanks, supported by two self-propelled guns and 30 grenadiers of the formidable 26th Panzer...

Hordes of German troops couldn't take him, but time finally did. Ernest Alva (Smoky) Smith, Canada's last winner of the Victoria Cross, has died at his home in Vancouver. He was 91. Born in New Westminster, B.C., on May 3, 1914, Smith was a joyful man with an impish smile who savoured a good cigar, a well-aged scotch and the attentions of ladies the world over. Far from a natural-born diplomat, however, it was his fierce fighting ability that vaulted Smith, nicknamed Smoky in school because of his running ability, into the company of royalty, presidents and prime ministers. Last...

NEW DELHI: Gallantry awards are the ultimate badge of honour for any Army regiment or battalion. It’s a matter of the paltan’s izzat (battalion’s honour), as they say in Army parlance. But this particular medal has made its way to a battalion after a good 88 years. The battalion, 7th Light Cavalry (earlier called 28th Light Cavalry), is popping the bubbly these days after getting the medal, a Victoria Cross no less, even if it’s a replica of the original. The original Victoria Cross will, however, remain with the battalion which has had it all this time, the 2nd Lancers...

Raw courage and utter selflessnessBy Caroline Davies (Filed: 28/04/2005) Even as the Queen reached up to pin Britain's ultimate award for valour on the khaki tunic of Pte Johnson Beharry yesterday, he was thinking not of himself but of others. Her Majesty had not awarded the Victoria Cross to a living recipient for 40 years. "You're very special," she told the 25-year-old Grenadan, who twice came close to death while saving the lives of colleagues during ambushes in Iraq last year. The modest Pte Johnson Beharry: ‘I wasn't thinking about a medal’ But as the young soldier stood, ramrod straight,...

A YOUNG British soldier who dragged his wounded platoon commander to safety and rescued 29 other soldiers under enemy fire in Iraq has been awarded the Victoria Cross, finally relieving Queenslander Keith Payne of his 36-year title as the most recent living recipient of the honour. Private Johnson Gideon Beharry, 25, is now one of just 14 living recipients of the award for exceptional bravery after pushing through an ambush in an armoured vehicle while the turret was on fire, in the town of al-Amarah, north of Basra, on May 1 last year. Far from being upset at losing his...

A young soldier has been awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour, for bravery under fire in some of the fiercest, and largely unreported, engagements between British forces and insurgents in south-eastern Iraq. Private Johnson Beharry, 25, is the first soldier to receive the VC since the Falklands war in 1982 and the first living recipient since 1969, when two Australians were given the award for action in Vietnam. The citation, gazetted today, describes his "great heroism" in two separate encounters in the town of Amara, north of Basra, last summer. In the first, on May 1, the Warrior...

VC for soldier who led convoy through ambushes in IraqBy Michael Smith, Defence Correspondent (Filed: 18/03/2005) A British soldier who fought in Iraq is awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry, today for saving dozens of comrades during two incidents in which he was seriously wounded. Pte Johnson Beharry, 25, who emigrated from Grenada in 1999, is only the fourth black serviceman to win the award, instituted in 1865 to honour heroism in the Crimea. He was cited for his actions during battles with Iraqi insurgents in the southern town of Amarah last summer. Pte Beharry, of 1...

LONDON (Reuters) - An armored vehicle driver who twice drove out of ambushes under fire in Iraq will become the first recipient of Britain's top military honor in more than 20 years, the Ministry of Defense said on Friday. Private Johnson Beharry of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment will be the first person to receive the Victoria Cross since 1982 and the first living recipient since 1965. He was cited for "valor of the highest order" after he drove out of an ambush of rocket-propelled grenades and extracted his wounded colleagues from the vehicle while under fire in May...

Soldier wins VC for Iraq bravery A British soldier serving in Iraq who saved 30 members of his unit from an ambush has been awarded the first Victoria Cross for more than 20 years. Pte Johnson Beharry, 25, was struck by enemy fire as he guided a convoy of Warrior fighting vehicles through the town of Al Amarah last May. A month later he saved more lives in an attack which left him in a coma. He was one of 140 soldiers honoured for tours in Iraq, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia and Africa. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "These honours...

reat story about a young British soldier , the last two paragraphs are odd to my American way of thinking. via Times Online Brit wins Victoria Cross in Iraq A YOUNG soldier who enlisted in the Army less than four years ago became a member of the most exclusive club in the world yesterday after being awarded the Victoria Cross for exceptional bravery in Iraq. Private Johnson Gideon Beharry, 25, is now one of just 14 living recipients of the award which he received for saving the lives of 30 comrades under remorseless attacks from grenades and machinegun fire in...

A British soldier serving in Iraq who saved 30 members of his unit from an ambush has been awarded the first Victoria Cross for more than 20 years. Private Johnson Beharry, 25, was struck by enemy fire as he guided a convoy of Warrior fighting vehicles through the town of Al Amarah last May. A month later he saved more lives in an attack which left him in a coma. Mr Beharry is one of 140 servicemen and women honoured for Iraq, Afghanistan, the former Yugoslavia and Africa. Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said: "These honours and awards recognise the outstanding...

You save Toppy's VC SUN READERS HELP RAISE $300,000 TO KEEP HIS MEDAL IN CANADA By PETER WORTHINGTON, TORONTO SUN WELL, WE did it. And we did it without Ottawa's help, thank you very much. Or, rather, Toronto Sun readers and other Canadians did it -- raised $300,000 to buy the Victoria Cross won by Paratrooper Fred Topham in World War II, to ensure it remains in perpetuity in the National War Museum. And there's money left over, maybe $30,000, to go into a fund to ensure that when future VCs or medals important to our heritage are put up...

VC medal to go under the hammer The first Victoria Cross to be won by a soldier from Leeds is to go up for auction in London. The medal was originally won by John Pearson of the 8th Hussars during the Indian Mutiny in 1858. Despite heavy fire from two sides, Mr Pearson took part in a charge through a rebel camp in Gwalior, where he seized guns from the opposition. His medal for extreme valour is expected to sell for over £70,000 at the auction on Tuesday. PEARSON, John Private, 8th Hussars (The King's Royal Irish), British Army Campaign...

Brit Soldier 'Saved 30 Lives' VC DEMAND FOR SQUADDIEComrades of a squaddie who saved the lives of up to 30 soldiers in Iraq have reportedly called for him to be given the Victoria Cross. They want troop carrier driver Private Johnston Beharry to receive Britain's highest award for bravery for his heroic actions.The Londoner saved up to 30 soldiers by leading their carriers to safety during a firefight after a bullet hit his helmet, according to The Sun. He then pulled his unconscious commanding officer from a burning vehicle while under fire from Iraqi rebels.The 22-year-old later saved more lives...

The Victoria Cross awarded to an airman who, in one of the most heroic acts of the Second World War, crawled on to the wing of a blazing bomber at 22,000 feet to try to put out an engine fire is to be auctioned in London.Even by the extraordinary standards of the men who have won Britain’s highest award for valour, the astonishing bravery of Sergeant Norman Jackson during a bombing raid over Germany in 1944 is exceptional.Jackson clung to the wing as the Lancaster tore through the night at 200 miles an hour under attack from a German fighter.He...

Sepoy Bhandari Ram Columnist Capt (Retd) A A JILANI writes about a World War 2 Victoria Cross for a sepoy of 16 Baluch Regt. Sepoy Bhandari Ram was awarded the coveted Victoria Cross for outstanding gallantry while serving in the Fourteenth Army BURMA campaign 1944. His gallant action was a desperate individual effort to overcome enemy opposition at a crucial moment in battle — which very nearly cost him his life and for which he earned the highest award for valour. Amongst soldiers there are no racial or religious barriers when it comes to regard and respect for extreme bravery...

The Making of Billy Bishop By Brereton Greenhous Dundurn Press 232 pgs. US$19.99/C$29.99 ISBN: 1-5500-2390-X Reevaluating a Canadian heroBy Steven Martinovichweb posted June 3, 2002Although the First World War ended in 1918, the story of Billy Bishop remains engrained in the collective consciousness of Canadians. Credited with shooting down an incredible 72 enemy aircraft, Bishop's place in history was guaranteed with a daring raid on June 2, 1917. In an action that earned him the Victoria Cross, the world's most difficult combat decoration to win, Bishop attacked and destroyed a German airfield single-handedly.That event writes historian Brereton Greenhous, which consistently...