Dear johnnyboyo-ga,
Good day!
Introduction
The George Cross was instituted by King George VI through a Royal
Warrant on the 24 September 1940. The award was instituted to
recognise the fortitude and courage displayed by many civilians and by
those engaged in bomb and mine disposal duties during the Blitz. The
George Cross decoration is equivalent in status with the Victoria
Cross.
The Empire Gallantry Medal was abolished and surviving holders,
together with those who had been awarded it posthumously since the
outbreak of war, had their medals exchanged for the George Cross.
Awards of the Albert and Edwards Medals continued till 1971, when it
was announced that surviving holders of these medals would have their
awards translated to the George Cross.
The total number of awards to date is 399. The breakup is as follows:
- By direct award - 155 (of these, 51 have gone to civilians)
- Eligible Empire Gallantry Medallists (EGM) - 112
- Eligible Albert Medallists (AM) - 64
- Eligible Edward Medallists (EM) - 68
Trivia
The George Cross, designed by Percy Metcalfe, CVO, RDI, is made of
silver (with a Garter blue ribbon) by the Royal Mint. The following
inscriptions are made on the GC:
- Obverse: For Gallantry
- Reverse: The recipient's title, full name, rank and, where
appropriate, unit, together with the date. The date inscribed on the
GC is the date of the award and not the date, or dates, of the deed.
The first GC was awarded to Mr T H Alderson, Detachment Leader, ARP,
Bridlington, Yorks, in September 1940. The Royal Ulster Constabulary
is the most recent recipient of the award, having been awarded the GC
on 24 November 1999. The youngest person to receive the George Cross
is Mr John Bamford, who received it at the age of 15 years and 7
months. 11 women have receive the George Cross till date (including
direct awards, EGM-GC exchange, Albert-GC exchange). There is one
instance of the GC being awarded to brothers.
Links
Stephen Stratford has compiled a complete list of recipients who have
been awarded the George Cross. His site can be reached through the
following URL:
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/index.htm
The section on the George Cross has the following URL:
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/gc_holders.htm
The list of surviving GC recipients is available here:
http://cgi.stratfords.free-online.co.uk/cgi-bin/gc.php?post=n&exchan=no&sorder=surname
The list of posthumous GC recipients can be accessed via this link:
http://cgi.stratfords.free-online.co.uk/cgi-bin/gc.php?post=y&exchan=no&sorder=surname
The following page lists all those people whose EGM awards
wereexchanged for the GC
http://cgi.stratfords.free-online.co.uk/cgi-bin/gc.php?exchan=egm&sorder=surname
The list of people whose Edwards medal were converted to the GC is
available here:
http://cgi.stratfords.free-online.co.uk/cgi-bin/gc.php?exchan=em&sorder=surname
The URL for the list of all AM - GC exchange holders is:
http://cgi.stratfords.free-online.co.uk/cgi-bin/gc.php?exchan=am&sorder=surname
All the lists briefly mention the deed for which the recipient was
awarded the George Cross.
Hope you find this answer satisfactory :)
Regards,
reeteshv-ga
Additional Links
The Imperial War Museum has concise information on the George Cross:
http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/exhibits/ex-gc.htm#top
Search Strategy:
George Cross Holders
://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&q=George+Cross+Holders |
