UK and Commonwealth Awards
Valor Friday
I’m currently reading Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart’s memoirs Happy Odyssey, so I figure it’s as good a time as any to refresh everyone on the story of this amazing chap. I also learned a new bit of old British slang. While at an all-boys school, he complained about “fagging“, which is not what you might […]
Valor Friday
I’ve talked about several recipients of American military awards for valor who were members of allied nations (or even civilians). This includes the Medal of Honor received by Mary Edwards Walker, the Distinguished Service Cross to Virginia Hall, and most recently, my article on the DSC awarded to John Paul Vann. Today’s subject is the […]
Valor Friday
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. This week’s subject is a bit different than most I cover. Tony Hudgell will never serve his country in uniform, as most of my subjects have. He’s found an amazing way to turn a life that started in tragedy into a way […]
Valor Friday
A recent question was posed to me. Have there been any people awarded medals by the enemy? I’ve talked before about some adjacent situations. Both Lieutenant Friedrich Lengfeld and Private Karl-Heinz Rosch have been honored by their enemy (Americans and Belgians respectively) for their heroics, but neither received a medal from the enemy government. I’ve […]
Valor Friday
Have you ever heard the story of the British Commando who beat a Nazi Luftwaffe field marshal about the head with the marshal’s own baton of rank to the point of literally breaking his skull? I hadn’t, but it’s a great story. Derek Mills-Roberts was born in England in 1908. He was schooled at Liverpool […]
Valor Friday
With this week’s announcement that Colonel Paris Davis will receive America’s highest award, the Medal of Honor, for actions almost 60 years ago, I want to take a look at another overlooked man. The US isn’t the only country that denies proper recognition for acts of valor. Canadian veterans have for quite a while now […]
Extra dose of valor for your Friday
I’ve previously talked about some recipients of the Dickin Medal, awarded by the British animal humane organization People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA). It is the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, the United Kingdom’s (and Commonwealth’s) highest honor, awarded only for battlefield gallantry. A US Marine Corps dog is the latest recipient of the […]
Valor Friday
I’ve touched recently on the Victoria Cross, the highest award of the British Empire and the Commonwealth. The complicated system of British awards and honors, dating back hundreds of years, has been simplified in many of the countries that make up the Commonwealth. Instead of using British honors, including military awards and decorations, Canada, Australia, […]
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