UK and Commonwealth Awards
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, […]
Valor Friday
Most Americans, when they hear of the British Royal Marines probably think they are comparable to the US Marine Corps. The United States, in their earliest days, modeled their new Marine Corps on their British counterparts. Since the 18th Century, while the US Marines maintained their positions as “soldiers of the sea” and developed a […]
Valor Friday
I’m still short on time this week, so Warrant Officer Class II Kevin “Dasher” Wheatley of the Royal Australian Regiment won’t be getting my in-depth exploration as normal. I would like to highlight the man nonetheless as you’ve likely never heard of him. He earned his nickname Dasher when he was a champion rugby player. […]
Valor Friday
Before World War II, aircraft designs were rapidly evolving. At the start of the 1930s, bi-planes with skin of doped fabric were still the norm. By the end of the decade, sleek, aerodynamic monoplanes with monocoque construction were flying higher, faster, and more maneuverable than ever thought possible. As the war progressed, the technology would […]
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