100-412: Hugh " Bulldog " Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie . Drummond is a First World War veteran who, fed up with his sedate lifestyle, advertises looking for excitement, and becomes a gentleman adventurer. The character has appeared in novels, short stories, on
200-590: A Bulldog Drummond comic book written by William Messner-Loebs and illustrated by Brett Barkley, while in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier , written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill , a thinly disguised, elderly version of Drummond, called "Hugo Drummond", is one of the three Secret Service agents tasked to hunt down the heroes of the piece. The Drummond series proved popular with contemporary audiences, with Bulldog Drummond selling 396,302 copies between 1920 and 1939, exceeding
300-716: A Croix de Guerre during the Second World War while he was undertaking intelligence work. In addition to the Drummond series Fairlie wrote series books about Victor Caryll, Johnny Macall and Mr Malcolm. He died in East Lavington in West Sussex. Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross ( VC ) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the British decorations system . It is awarded for valour "in
400-400: A Maltese cross of bronze". Nonetheless, it has always been a cross pattée ; the discrepancy with the warrant has never been corrected. The ribbon is crimson, 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 ″(38 mm) wide. The original (1856) specification for the award stated that the ribbon should be red for army recipients and dark blue for naval recipients, but the dark blue ribbon was abolished soon after
500-668: A Mention in Despatches existed as an alternative award for acts of lesser gallantry. This structure was very limited; in practice, awards of the Order of the Bath were confined to officers of field rank and brevet promotions or Mentions in Despatches were largely confined to those who were under the immediate notice of the commanders in the field, generally members of the commander's own staff. Other European countries had awards that did not discriminate against class or rank; France awarded
600-429: A Rolls-Royce and a Bentley . Although Drummond's actions are intended to maintain the conservative status quo of Britain, academic Hans Bertens considers that instead, he comes across as "a murderous exponent of a fierce competitive individualism". The first four books deal with Drummond against Carl Peterson, who becomes Drummond's arch-enemy . Peterson is also a master of disguise and uses several aliases. Peterson
700-613: A private awarded a VC or GC. As there was no formal order of wear laid down, the Victoria Cross was at first worn as the recipient fancied. It was popular to pin it on the left side of the chest over the heart, with other decorations grouped around the VC. The Queen's Regulations for the Army of 1881 gave clear instructions on how to wear it; the VC had to follow the badge of the Order of
800-511: A Companion in an Order of Chivalry , the VC has no place in a coat of arms . The original warrant stated that NCOs and private soldiers or seamen on the Victoria Cross Register were entitled to a £10 per annum annuity . In 1898, Queen Victoria raised the pension to £50 for those that could not earn a livelihood, be it from old age or infirmity. Today holders of the Victoria Cross or George Cross are entitled to an annuity,
900-688: A ceremony in Wellington in June 1870 to Mōkena Kōhere , Te Keepa Te Rangihiwinui (Major Kemp), Te Pokiha Taranui , Henare Tomoana , Ropata Wahawaha , and Ihaka Whaanga . The question of whether awards could be made to colonial troops not serving with British troops was raised in South Africa in 1881. Surgeon John McCrea , an officer of the South African forces was recommended for gallantry during hostilities which had not been approved by
1000-689: A comparatively humorous description, no objection. Excitement essential." Advertisement placed in The Times by Drummond in Bulldog Drummond The Bulldog Drummond stories of H. C. McNeile follow Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond, DSO , MC . Drummond is a member of "the Breed", a class of Englishman who were patriotic, loyal and "physically and morally intrepid". Drummond is a wealthy gentleman, formerly an officer in
1100-601: A metallurgical examination of the VCs in the custody of the Australian War Memorial, and later the historian John Glanfield wrote that, through the use of X-ray studies of older Victoria Crosses, it was determined that the metal used for almost all VCs since December 1914 is taken from antique Chinese guns, replacing an earlier gun. Creagh noted the existence of Chinese inscriptions on the cannon, which are now barely legible due to corrosion. A likely explanation
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#17327720540061200-452: A miniature of the Cross has been affixed to the centre of the ribbon bar when worn without the Cross. In the event of a second award bar, a second replica is worn alongside the first. The Victoria Cross is awarded for ... 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. A recommendation for
1300-437: A model for other literary characters created in the 1940s and 1950s: W. E. Johns used McNeile's work as a model for his character Biggles , while Ian Fleming stated that James Bond was "Sapper from the waist up and Mickey Spillane below". Gerard Fairlie Francis Gerard Luis Fairlie (1 November 1899 – 31 March 1983) was an English writer and scriptwriter on whom 'Sapper' ( H. C. McNeile ) supposedly based
1400-409: A model for the character, noting that "he was still at school when Sapper created his ... hero". Drummond also had roots in the literary characters Sherlock Holmes , Sexton Blake , Richard Hannay and The Scarlet Pimpernel . Drummond's wartime experience had given him a series of abilities akin to that of a hunter: stealth—"he could move over ground without a single blade of grass rustling"—and
1500-508: A recipient's name to be erased from the official register in certain wholly discreditable circumstances and his pension cancelled. Eight were forfeited between 1861 and 1908. The power to cancel and restore awards is still included in the Victoria Cross warrant. King George V felt very strongly that the decoration should never be forfeited and in a letter from his Private Secretary, Lord Stamfordham , on 26 July 1920, his views are forcefully expressed: The King feels so strongly that, no matter
1600-602: A single unit during a single action is seven, to the 2nd/ 24th Foot , for the defence of Rorke's Drift , 22–23 January 1879, during the Zulu War . The greatest number won in a single conflict is 628, during the First World War. Ishar Singh became the first Indian Sikh to receive the award. Eight of the 12 surviving holders of the Victoria Cross attended the 150th Anniversary service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey on 26 June 2006. Three people have been awarded
1700-422: A superior intellect. Drummond is characterised as large, very strong, physically unattractive and an "apparently brainless hunk of a man", He is six feet tall, weighs around 14 stone, and has a "cheerful type of ugliness which inspires immediate confidence in its owner". Throughout his exploits, Drummond is joined by several of his ex-army friends and colleagues, including Algy Longworth (who would appear in many of
1800-471: A sympathetic character. Almost, in fact, a hero", and wrote that "authors ... fall in love with their big villains ... Sapper came to love Carl Peterson dearly, and so did Drummond". The title of the fifth Drummond book, The Female of the Species refers to Rudyard Kipling 's line "the female of the species is more deadly than the male". Irma is described by Jonathon Green as "the slinky epitome of
1900-656: A twenties ' vamp ' ", and by Lawrence Treadwell as dark, sexy and from an oriental background, "a true femme fatale ". After Carl Peterson's death in The Final Count , Irma swears revenge on Drummond and kidnaps his wife—whom he had met in Bulldog Drummond —with the intent of killing him in the ensuing chase. Irma Peterson appears in six of McNeile's books, and in a further five by Fairlie. All were published through Hodder & Stoughton . Drummond has also appeared in other works. In 1983 Jack Smithers wrote
2000-651: A visit to troops in France. The presentation occurred on 5 December 1914 and he is one of a very few soldiers presented with his award before it appeared in the London Gazette . Since the Second World War , most but not all Commonwealth countries have created their own honours systems and no longer participate in the British honours system . This began soon after the Partition of India in 1947, when
2100-487: Is a First World War veteran, brutalised by his experiences in the trenches and bored with his post-war lifestyle. He publishes an advertisement looking for adventure, and soon finds himself embroiled in a series of exploits, many of which involve Carl Peterson—who becomes his nemesis—and Peterson's mistress, the femme fatale Irma. After his first adventure, Drummond marries his client, Phyllis Benton. In later episodes, Benton becomes involved in Drummond's exploits, often as
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#17327720540062200-492: Is a bronze cross pattée , 1 + 39 ⁄ 64 ″ (41 mm) high, 1 + 27 ⁄ 64 ″ (36 mm) wide, bearing the crown of Saint Edward surmounted by a lion, and the inscription "for valour". This was originally to have been "for the brave", until it was changed on the recommendation of Queen Victoria, as it implied that only men who were awarded the cross were brave. The decoration, suspension bar, and link weigh about 0.87 troy ounces (27 g). The cross
2300-414: Is also construed as "a brutalized ex-officer whose thirst for excitement is also an attempt to reenact [ sic ] the war", although the character was later described by Cecil Day-Lewis , author of gentleman detective Nigel Strangeways , as an "unspeakable public school bully". The novel Bulldog Drummond begins when Drummond places an advertisement in a newspaper looking for adventure to lift
2400-484: Is killed in the fourth book, The Final Count , although Fairlie brings him back for his final novel, The Return of the Black Gang . Drummond forms a grudging respect for Peterson, and offers an honourable duel to the death at the end of The Third Round , instead of the usual summary justice that normally befalls members of Peterson's gang. The writer Richard Usborne sees the mass-murdering terrorist Peterson as "quite
2500-480: Is similar to that for the early WW1 medals. This is likely to be due to the reuse of material from earlier pourings, casting sprues , defective medals, etc. The remaining portion of the only remaining cascabel, weighing 358 oz (10 kg), is stored in a vault maintained by 15 Regiment Royal Logistic Corps at MoD Donnington and may only be removed under armed guard. It is estimated that approximately 80 to 85 more VCs could be cast from this source. The decoration
2600-432: Is suspended by a ring from a seriffed "V" to a bar ornamented with laurel leaves, through which the ribbon passes. The reverse of the suspension bar is engraved with the recipient's name, rank, number and unit. On the reverse of the medal is a circular panel on which the date of the act for which it was awarded is engraved in the centre. The Original Warrant Clause 1 states that the Victoria Cross "shall consist of
2700-857: Is that the cannon were taken as trophies during the First Opium War and held in the Woolwich repository. It was also thought that some medals made during the First World War were composed of metal captured from different Chinese guns during the Boxer Rebellion . This is not so, however. The VCs examined by Creagh and Ashton both in Australia (58) and at the National Army Museum in New Zealand (14) spanned
2800-677: Is the sole recipient of both the Victoria Cross and the Iron Cross . The VC was awarded for his actions during the Waikato-Hauhau Maori War , New Zealand on 29 April 1864, while the Iron Cross was awarded for tending the wounded during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71. Royal New Zealand Air Force Flying Officer Lloyd Allan Trigg is the only serviceman ever awarded a VC on evidence solely provided by
2900-541: The British Army and 4 to members of the Australian Army , have been awarded since the Second World War . The traditional explanation of the source of the metal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from a Russian cannon captured at the siege of Sevastopol . However, research has indicated another origin for the material. The historian John Glanfield has established that the metal for most of
3000-694: The Gazette dating back to the Indian Mutiny. The Victoria Cross warrant was not amended to explicitly allow posthumous awards until 1920, but one quarter of all awards for World War I were posthumous. The process and motivations of selecting the medal's recipients has sometimes been interpreted as inconsistent or overly political. The most common observation has been that the Victoria Cross may be given more often for engagements that senior military personnel would like to publicly promote. The 1920 royal warrant made provision for awards to women serving in
3100-730: The Imperial War Museum , the Ashcroft collection went on public display alongside the museum's Victoria and George Cross collection in November 2010. Beginning with Canada on its centenary of confederation in 1967, followed in 1975 by Australia and New Zealand , these countries developed their own national honours systems, separate from and independent of the British or Imperial honours system. As each country's system evolved, operational gallantry awards were developed with
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3200-696: The Indian Order of Merit since 1837, which was the oldest British gallantry award for general issue. When the Victoria Cross was created, Indian troops were still controlled by the Honourable East India Company and did not come under Crown control until 1860. European officers and men serving with the Honourable East India Company were not eligible for the Indian Order of Merit and the Victoria Cross
3300-572: The Latin " pro valore " . This language was chosen so as to favour neither French nor English, the two official languages of Canada. New Zealand was the third country to adapt the VC into its own honours system. While the New Zealand and Australian VCs are technically separate awards, the decoration is identical to the British design, including being cast from the same gunmetal as the British VC. The Canadian Victoria Cross also includes metal from
3400-653: The Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honour, established 1802) and the Netherlands gave the Order of William (established in 1815). There was a growing feeling among the public and in the Royal Court that a new award was needed to recognise incidents of gallantry that were unconnected with the length or merit of a man's service. Queen Victoria issued a warrant under the royal sign-manual on 29 January 1856 ( gazetted 5 February 1856) that officially constituted
3500-506: The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya medal. Three Commonwealth realms —Australia, Canada and New Zealand —have each introduced their own decorations for gallantry and bravery, replacing British decorations such as the Victoria Cross with their own. The only Commonwealth countries that still can recommend the VC are the small nations that still participate in the British honours system, none of whose forces have ever been awarded
3600-702: The QEII Army Memorial Museum in Waiouru , New Zealand, with a value of around NZD $ 20 million. Charles Upham 's VC and Bar was among these. A reward of NZ$ 300,000, provided by Lord Ashcroft, was posted for information leading to the recovery of the decorations. On 16 February 2008, New Zealand Police announced that all of the medals had been recovered. There are a number of collections of Victoria Crosses. The VC collection of businessman and politician Lord Ashcroft , amassed since 1986, contains 162 medals, over one-tenth of all VCs awarded. It
3700-697: The War in Afghanistan in 2004. The Canadian Victoria Cross has been cast once, to be awarded to the Unknown Soldier at the rededication of the Vimy Memorial on 7 April 2007 (this date being chosen as it was the 90th anniversary of the battle of Vimy Ridge ), but pressure from veterans' organisations caused the plan to be dropped. As the highest award for valour of the United Kingdom,
3800-507: The War in Afghanistan ; Ben Roberts-Smith , Daniel Keighran and Cameron Baird were also awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for actions in Afghanistan. Teddy Sheean was awarded the VC after the Australian Government convened an expert panel to review his case. The Victoria Cross for New Zealand has been awarded once: Corporal Willie Apiata ( New Zealand Special Air Service ) on 2 July 2007, for his actions in
3900-434: The 'polite' norms". J.D. Bourn considers his language to be "rather distasteful", while the academic Michael Denning observed that "Drummond is a bundle of chauvinisms, hating Jews, Germans, and most other foreigners". The author and publisher Ion Trewin comments that for the readers of the 1920s and '30s, McNeile was seen at the time as "simply an upstanding Tory who spoke for many of his countrymen". Drummond later became
4000-505: The 100,000-copy benchmark for "best-sellers". At his peak in the 1920s, McNeile was the highest-paid short-story writer in the world, and it was estimated that in the last five years of his life he was earning around £10,000 a year (approximately equivalent to £815,048 in 2023); the Daily Mirror estimated that during his writing career he had earned £85,000. When reviewing Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back for The New York Times ,
4100-538: The 111 Crimean recipients in a ceremony in Hyde Park, London . A single company of jewellers, Hancocks & Co , has been responsible for the production of every VC awarded since its inception. It has long been widely believed that all the VCs were cast in bronze from the cascabels of two cannons that were captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol . However, in 1990 Creagh and Ashton conducted
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4200-744: The 1921–22 season. Du Maurier played the title role in a run of 428 performances. Du Maurier again played the role on 8 November 1932 in a special charity performance at the Royal Adelphi Theatre attended by King George V . The play also ran in New York during the same season, with A. E. Matthews as Drummond. McNeile also wrote The Way Out , which was staged at the Comedy Theatre , London in January 1930 with Ian Hunter as Drummond. A third Drummond play, Bulldog Drummond Hits Out ,
4300-578: The Armed Forces. No woman has been awarded a VC. In the case of a gallant and daring act being performed by a squadron, ship's company or a detached body of men (such as marines) in which all men are deemed equally brave and deserving of the Victoria Cross, a ballot is drawn. The officers select one officer, the NCOs select one individual, and the private soldiers or seamen select two individuals. In all, 46 awards have been awarded by ballot with 29 of
4400-634: The British Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood . Australia was the first Commonwealth realm to create its own VC, on 15 January 1991. Although it is a separate award, its appearance is identical to its British counterpart. Canada followed suit when in 1993 Queen Elizabeth signed Letters Patent creating the Canadian VC, which is also similar to the British version, except that the legend has been changed from "for valour" to
4500-575: The British Government. He was awarded the Victoria Cross and the principle was established that gallant conduct could be rewarded independently of any political consideration of military operations. More recently, four Australian soldiers were awarded the Victoria Cross in the Vietnam War although Britain was not involved in the conflict. Indian troops were not originally eligible for the Victoria Cross since they had been eligible for
4600-668: The British forces before 31 March 1949 while domiciled in Canada or Newfoundland receive Can$ 3,000 per year. Under Subsection 103.4 of the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986, the Australian Government provides a Victoria Cross Allowance. Until November 2005 the amount was A$ 3,230 per year. Since then this amount has been increased annually in line with the Australian Consumer Price Index. The original royal warrant involved an expulsion clause that allowed for
4700-402: The Drummond stories, much of the language used by McNeile's characters relating to ethnic minorities or Jews is considered by the academic Joan DelFattore to be "intensely conservative by modern standards"; Green observes that while the characters of other contemporary writers, such as Agatha Christie , "exhibit the inevitable xenophobia and anti-semitism of the period, McNeile's go far beyond
4800-604: The Indian Empire . In 1900 it was ordained in Dress Regulations for the Army that it should be worn after the cross of a Member of the Royal Victorian Order . It was only in 1902 that Edward VII gave the cross its present position on a bar brooch. The cross is also worn as a miniature decoration on a brooch or a chain with mess jacket , white tie or black tie . As a bearer of the VC is not
4900-506: The Second Boer War. In an exception to policy for the Second Boer War, six posthumous Victoria Crosses, three to those mentioned in the notices in 1900 and 1901 and a further three, were granted on 8 August 1902, the first official posthumous awards. Five years later in 1907, the posthumous policy was reversed for earlier wars, and medals were sent to the next of kin of the six officers and men whose names were mentioned in notices in
5000-597: The Somme . In January 1969, the record reached £1700 (£35300 ) for the medal set of William Rennie . In April 2004 the VC awarded in 1944 to Sergeant Norman Jackson , RAF, was sold at an auction for £235,250. On 24 July 2006, an auction at Bonhams in Sydney of the VC awarded to Captain Alfred Shout fetched a world record hammer price of A$ 1 million (approximately £410,000 at the time). In November 2009, it
5100-534: The US Medal of Honor and reciprocally the Victoria Cross was presented to the American Unknown Soldier of the First World War. This is the only ungazetted VC award following the normal British practice for both gallantry and meritorious awards to foreign recipients not being gazetted. It is included in the total of 1,358 awards. In 1856, Queen Victoria laid an unnamed Victoria Cross beneath
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#17327720540065200-558: The VC and Bar , the bar representing a second award of the VC. They are Noel Godfrey Chavasse and Arthur Martin-Leake , both doctors in the Royal Army Medical Corps , for rescuing wounded under fire; and New Zealander Captain Charles Upham , an infantryman, for combat actions. Upham remains the only combatant soldier to have received a VC and Bar. Surgeon General William George Nicholas Manley , an Irishman,
5300-399: The VC can be seen by the increasing sums that the medals reach at auctions. In 1955 the set of medals awarded to Edmund Barron Hartley was bought at Sotheby's for the then record price of £300 (approximately £9900 in present-day terms ). In October 1966 the Middlesex Regiment paid a new record figure of £900 (approximately £21200 in present-day terms ) for a VC awarded after the Battle of
5400-455: The VC is normally issued by an officer at regimental level, or equivalent, and has to be supported by three witnesses, although this has been waived on occasion. The recommendation is then passed up the military hierarchy until it reaches the Secretary of State for Defence . The recommendation is then laid before the monarch who approves the award with his or her signature. Victoria Cross awards are always promulgated in The London Gazette with
5500-420: The VC. When the Union of South Africa instituted its own range of military decorations and medals with effect from 6 April 1952, these new awards took precedence before all earlier British decorations and medals awarded to South Africans, with the exception of the Victoria Cross, which still took precedence before all other awards. The other older British awards continued to be worn in the order prescribed by
5600-429: The VC. The order was backdated to 1854 to recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War. Queen Victoria had instructed the War Office to strike a new medal that would not recognise birth or class. The medal was meant to be a simple decoration that would be highly prized and eagerly sought after by those in the military services. To maintain its simplicity, Queen Victoria, under the guidance of Prince Albert , vetoed
5700-486: The Victoria Cross is always the first award to be presented at an investiture, even before knighthoods , as was shown at the investiture of Private Johnson Beharry , who received his medal before General Sir Mike Jackson received his knighthood. Owing to its status, the VC is always the first decoration worn in a row of medals and it is the first set of post-nominal letters used to indicate any decoration or order. Similar acts of extreme valour that do not take place in
5800-400: The Victoria Cross were raised for local troops who distinguished themselves in action. Following gallant actions by three New Zealand soldiers in November 1868 and January 1869 during the New Zealand Wars , an Order in Council on 10 March 1869 created a "Distinctive Decoration" for members of the local forces without seeking permission from the Secretary of State for the Colonies . Although
5900-476: The ability to incapacitate others—"he could kill a man with his bare hands in a second". During his time on the Western Front he would take himself on solitary raids through no man's land . Drummond was also proficient in jujutsu and boxing, was a crack shot, played cricket for the Free Foresters , and was an excellent poker player. In addition to Drummond's physical attributes is his common sense, which allows him to equal and beat his opponents, even if they have
6000-412: The amount of which is determined by the awarding government. Since 2015, the annuity paid by the British Government is £10,000 per year. This is exempted from tax for British taxpayers by Section 638 Income Tax (Earnings and Pensions) Act 2003, along with pensions or annuities from other awards for bravery. In Canada, under the Gallantry Awards Order , members of the Canadian Forces or people who joined
6100-467: The award since 1879. Since the first awards were presented by Queen Victoria in 1857, two thirds of all awards have been personally presented by the British monarch . The investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace . The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to honour acts of valour during the Crimean War . Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,358 times to 1,355 individual recipients. Only 15 medals, of which 11 to members of
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#17327720540066200-413: The awards during the Indian Mutiny. Four further awards were granted to Q Battery, Royal Horse Artillery at Korn Spruit on 31 March 1900 during the Second Boer War. The final ballot awards for the army were the six awards to the Lancashire Fusiliers at W Beach during the landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, although three of the awards were not gazetted until 1917. The final seven ballot awards were
6300-423: The character of Bulldog Drummond . Ian Fleming stated that James Bond was influenced partially by the Drummond character. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulldog Drummond book series. Fairlie was born in Kensington , London. His grandfather was Army officer and golfer James Ogilvie Fairlie . He was educated at Downside School in Somerset and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst and
6400-554: The crime committed by anyone on whom the VC has been conferred, the decoration should not be forfeited. Even were a VC to be sentenced to be hanged for murder, he should be allowed to wear his VC on the scaffold . A total of 1,358 Victoria Crosses have been awarded since 1856 to 1,355 men. The greatest number of Victoria Crosses awarded for a single day was 24 for deeds performed during the Indian Mutiny on 16 November 1857, 23 for deeds at Lucknow and one by Francis David Millet Brown for action at Narnoul . The greatest number won by
6500-489: The critic observed that "if you like a good knock-down-and-drag-out yarn with excitement and violence on nearly every page, you can't go wrong on Bulldog Drummond"; for the novel Bulldog Drummond at Bay , the reviewer considered that "as a piece of fictional melodrama, the book is first rate". In the British market, The Times Literary Supplement also characterised McNeile as a mass-market thriller writer, which contrasted with its consideration of his earlier works. Throughout
6600-400: The end of the Second World War, the original VC has been awarded 15 times: four in the Korean War , one in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in 1965, four to Australians in the Vietnam War , two during the Falklands War in 1982, one in the Iraq War in 2004, and three in the War in Afghanistan for actions in 2006, 2012 and 2013. In 1921, the British Unknown Warrior was awarded
6700-402: The enemy, for an action in which there were no surviving Allied witnesses. The recommendation was made by the captain of the German U-boat U-468 sunk by Trigg's aircraft. Lieutenant Commander Gerard Roope was also awarded a VC on recommendation of the enemy, the captain of the Admiral Hipper , but there were also numerous surviving Allied witnesses to corroborate his actions. Since
6800-440: The enemy. Six such awards were made during this period—five of them for a single incident during an Expedition to the Andaman Islands in 1867. In 1881, the criteria were changed again and the VC was only awarded for acts of valour "in the face of the enemy". Due to this, it has been suggested by many historians including Lord Ashcroft that the changing nature of warfare will result in fewer VCs being awarded. The Victoria Cross
6900-438: The ennui of his life in post-war London. The response comes from Phyllis Benton, who is concerned for the health and well-being of her father, over whom Henry Lakington and Carl Peterson have a hold. At the end of the novel Drummond and Phyllis marry, and remain married throughout the course of the McNeile and Fairlie series of books, in contrast to the films, which generally portray Drummond as unmarried. Phyllis becomes integral to
7000-476: The entire time during which VCs have been issued and no compositional inconsistencies were found. It was also believed that another source of metal was used between 1942 and 1945 to create five Second World War VCs when the Sevastopol metal "went missing". Creagh accessed the Army records at MoD Donnington in 1991 and did not find any gaps in the custodial record. The composition found in the WW2 VCs, among them those for Edwards (Australia) and Upham (New Zealand),
7100-427: The face of the enemy are honoured with the George Cross (GC), which has equal precedence but is awarded second because the GC is newer. It is not statutory for "all ranks to salute a bearer of the Victoria Cross": There is no official requirement that appears in the official warrant of the VC, nor in King's Regulations and Orders , but tradition dictates that this occurs and, consequently, senior officers will salute
7200-582: The fictional " Royal Loamshire Regiment ", who, after the First World War, spends his new-found leisure time looking for adventure. McNeile first wrote the Drummond character as a detective for a short story in The Strand Magazine , but the portrayal was not successful and was changed for the novel Bull-dog Drummond , which was a thriller . The character was an amalgam of McNeile's friend Gerard Fairlie , and his idea of an English gentleman, although writer J.D. Bourn disputes Fairlie's claim to be
7300-651: The film into The Man Who Knew Too Much without Drummond. A Bulldog Drummond radio series ran on the Mutual Broadcasting System from 13 April 1941 to 12 January 1949. An attempt was made at a revival between 3 January and 28 March 1954. Drummond was initially portrayed by George Coulouris , before being taken over by Santos Ortega and Ned Wever after 1942; Cedric Hardwicke took over in 1954. A 30-minute episode of Douglas Fairbanks Presents featured Drummond in "The Ludlow Affair", first broadcast on UK television on 16 December 1956. Drummond
7400-469: The films, as Drummond's sidekick), MC; Toby Sinclair, VC ; Peter Darrell and Ted Jerningham. Drummond's ex- batman from his military days, James Denny, runs Drummond's flat on Half-Moon Street in Mayfair , London, along with Mrs Denny. (Denny appeared as Drummond's sidekick in the radio series, a version of the character named Tenny appeared in the films) Drummond is a gentleman with a private income; he
7500-474: The formation of the Royal Air Force on 1 April 1918. On 22 May 1920 George V signed a warrant that stated all recipients would now receive a red ribbon and the living recipients of the naval version were required to exchange their ribbons for the new colour. Although the army warrants state the colour as being red, it is defined by most commentators as being crimson or "wine-red". Since 1917
7600-495: The foundation stone of Netley Military hospital . When the hospital was demolished in 1966 the VC, known as "The Netley VC", was retrieved and is now on display in the Army Medical Services Museum , Mytchett , near Aldershot. This VC is not counted in official statistics. Since 1879, more than 300 Victoria Crosses have been publicly auctioned or advertised. Others have been privately sold. The value of
7700-615: The governor was chided for exceeding his authority, the Order in Council was ratified by the Queen. The title "Distinctive Decoration" was later replaced by the title New Zealand Cross . In addition, in 1870 Victoria sent six ceremonial Highland broadswords to New Zealand, to be presented as "Swords of Honour" to Māori rangatira who had served with distinction during the New Zealand Land Wars . The swords were presented in
7800-415: The medals made since December 1914 came from two Chinese cannons and that there is no evidence of Russian origin. The VC is highly prized and has been valued at over £400,000 at auctions. A number of public and private collections are devoted to the Victoria Cross. The private collection of Lord Ashcroft , amassed since 1986, contains over one-tenth of all Victoria Crosses awarded. After a 2008 donation to
7900-522: The new countries of India and Pakistan introduced their own systems of awards. The VC was replaced by the Param Vir Chakra (PVC) and Nishan-e-Haider (NH) respectively. Most if not all new honours systems continued to permit recipients of British honours to wear their awards according to the rules of each nation's order of wear. Sri Lanka, whose defence personnel were eligible to receive the Victoria Cross until 1972, introduced its own equivalent,
8000-462: The only naval ballot awards with three awards to two Q-ships in 1917 and four awards for the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918. The provision for awards by ballot is still included in the Victoria Cross warrant, but there have been no further such awards since 1918. Between 1858 and 1881, the Victoria Cross could be awarded for actions taken "under circumstances of extreme danger" not in the face of
8100-420: The plot of some of the novels: she is kidnapped by Irma Peterson in several stories, including The Black Gang and The Female of the Species . In the matter of his personal tastes, Drummond is a member of the fictional Junior Sports Club, a gentleman's club on St. James's Square , London. His preferred drink is beer although he also enjoys drinking martinis and is knowledgeable about wines. Drummond owns both
8200-545: The premier award of each system, with the Victoria Cross for Australia , the Canadian Victoria Cross and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand being created and named in honour of the Victoria Cross. They are unique awards of each honours system recommended, assessed, gazetted and presented by each country. In 1854, after 39 years of peace, Britain was in a major war against Russia. The Crimean War
8300-550: The presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously awarded to service personnel in the broader British Empire (later Commonwealth of Nations ), with most successor independent nations now having established their own honours systems and no longer recommending British honours. It may be awarded to a person of any military rank in any service and to civilians under military command. No civilian has received
8400-407: The recipient by the reigning British monarch. Nearly 300 awards have been presented by a member of the royal family or by a civil or military dignitary. About 150 awards were either forwarded to the recipient or next of kin by registered post or no details of the presentations are known. The original royal warrant did not contain a specific clause regarding posthumous awards, although official policy
8500-477: The same cannon, along with copper and other metals from all regions of Canada. There have been five recipients of the Victoria Cross for Australia, four for action in Afghanistan and one awarded for action in the Second World War following a review. The first was to Trooper Mark Donaldson ( Special Air Service Regiment ) on 16 January 2009 for actions during Operation Slipper , the Australian contribution to
8600-629: The single exception of the award to the American Unknown Soldier in 1921. The Victoria Cross warrant makes no specific provision as to who should actually present the medals to the recipients. Queen Victoria indicated that she would like to present the medals in person and she presented 185 medals out of the 472 gazetted during her reign. Including the first 62 medals presented at a parade in Hyde Park on 26 June 1857 by Queen Victoria, nearly 900 awards have been personally presented to
8700-424: The spoof Combined Forces , and in 1990 Kim Newman —under the name Jack Yeovil—wrote the short story "Pitbull Brittan", which features Drummond. These short stories are all by McNeile, and are collected in the 1984 publication 'Sapper' The Best Short Stories edited by Jack Adrian. McNeile and Gerald du Maurier adapted the first novel, for the stage; Bulldog Drummond was shown at Wyndham's Theatre during
8800-479: The stage, in films, on radio and television, and in graphic novels. After an unsuccessful one-off appearance as a policeman in The Strand Magazine , the character was reworked by McNeile into a gentleman adventurer for his 1920 novel Bulldog Drummond . McNeile went on to write ten Drummond novels, four short stories, four stage plays and a screenplay before his death in 1937. The stories were continued by his friend Gerard Fairlie between 1938 and 1954. Drummond
8900-400: The suggestion that the award be called The Military Order of Victoria and instead suggested the name Victoria Cross . The original warrant stated that the Victoria Cross would only be awarded to officers and men who had served in the presence of the enemy and had performed some signal act of valour or devotion. The first ceremony was held on 26 June 1857 at which Queen Victoria invested 62 of
9000-573: The victim of kidnapping by Drummond's enemies. In 1921 an adaptation of the first novel was staged in London, with Gerald du Maurier playing the role of Drummond; the play was further adapted for the 1922 silent film Bulldog Drummond , with Carlyle Blackwell in the lead role. Several other Drummond films followed, either based on McNeile's stories or with unique storylines. "Demobilised officer, ... finding peace incredibly tedious, would welcome diversion. Legitimate, if possible; but crime, if of
9100-516: Was co-written by McNeile and Fairlie. It went on a tour of the UK in 1937 with Henry Edwards as Drummond, and opened on 21 December 1937 at the Savoy Theatre , London, where it had a short run. Fairlie later turned the storyline into the novel Bulldog Drummond on Dartmoor , published in 1938. In 1974 the play Bullshot Crummond , by Ron House, was staged with Alan Shearman as Crummond. The play
9200-675: Was commissioned in December 1918 in the Scots Guards . He was both an Army boxing champion and a member of the Great Britain team in the bobsleigh at the 1924 Winter Olympics at Chamonix, France; his team finished fifth. He married Joan Roskell in 1923 and became a journalist and screenwriter. In the Second World War, he served as an army officer with the Royal Sussex Regiment . The French awarded Fairlie with
9300-582: Was donated to the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum in London, Ontario , Canada in 1979, was stolen on Canada Day (1 July 1980), when the museum was overcrowded and has been missing since. A VC awarded in 1917 to Canadian soldier Corporal Filip Konowal was stolen from the same museum in 1973 and was not recovered until 2004. On 2 December 2007, nine VCs were among 100 medals (12 sets) stolen from locked, reinforced glass cabinets at
9400-524: Was extended to colonial troops in 1867. The extension was made following a recommendation for gallantry regarding colonial soldier Major Charles Heaphy for action in the New Zealand Wars in 1864. He was operating under British command and the VC was gazetted in 1867. Later that year, the Government of New Zealand assumed full responsibility for operations, but no further recommendations for
9500-470: Was extended to cover them in October 1857. It was only at the end of the 19th century that calls for Indian troops to be awarded the Victoria Cross intensified. Indian troops became eligible for the award in 1911. The first awards to Indian troops appeared in the London Gazette on 7 December 1914 to Darwan Singh Negi and Khudadad Khan . Negi was presented with the Victoria Cross by George V during
9600-587: Was not to award the VC posthumously. Between the First war of Indian Independence in 1857 and the beginning of the Second Boer War , the names of six officers and men were published in the London Gazette with a memorandum stating they would have been awarded the Victoria Cross had they survived. A further three notices were published in the London Gazette in September 1900 and April 1901 for gallantry in
9700-493: Was one of the first wars with modern reporting, and the dispatches of William Howard Russell described many acts of bravery and valour by British servicemen that went unrewarded. Before the Crimean War, there was no official standardised system for recognition of gallantry within the British armed forces. Officers were eligible for an award of one of the junior grades of the Order of the Bath and brevet promotions while
9800-516: Was played by Robert Beatty ; he was aided by Kelly, played by Michael Ripper . A 1973 BBC documentary Omnibus , "The British Hero", featured Christopher Cazenove playing Drummond, as well as a number of other such heroic characters, including Richard Hannay , Beau Geste and James Bond. Adaptations of the first and fourth novels appeared in Super Detective Library #3 and #13 respectively. In 2004 Moonstone Books released
9900-536: Was reported that almost £1.5 million was paid to St Peter's College, Oxford by Lord Ashcroft for the VC and bar awarded to Noel Chavasse . Vice Admiral Gordon Campbell 's medal group, including the VC he received for actions while in command of HMS Farnborough , was reportedly sold for a record £840,000. Several VCs have been stolen and, being valuable, have been placed on the Interpol watch-list for stolen items. The VC awarded to Milton Gregg , which
10000-400: Was subsequently made into the 1983 film Bullshot . In 1933 Alfred Hitchcock was set to direct a Bulldog Drummond film with a screenplay by Charles Bennett entitled Bulldog Drummond's Baby . The rights to the character of Drummond were then held by British International Pictures , who would not sell the rights to use the characters for Bennett's screenplay. Bennett and Hitchcock turned
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