Valor Friday

I’ve explored the complicated British system of awards and decorations before. Even after having delved into it for several years, it’s still confusing. The Brits have both medals as well as dynastic and fraternal orders. The orders come in various grades, with the upper grades generally coming in the form of a knighthood which grants the title/style of “Sir” before a man’s name. These orders come in both civil and military divisions to provide extra complications. Many medals in the British system, unlike most American medals we’re familiar with, can be awarded to both military and civilians. Historically, the Brits also strictly segregate their awards by rank, with officers and other ranks (warranted, non-commissioned, and enlisted men) getting different awards for the same acts.

To further complicate things, the Brits are somewhat fond of creating medals, then later revising the system to remove complications.  The most recent sweep was in the early 90s and it consolidated most of the British military awards, and most notably removed the rank segregation.

Today’s subject is a recipient of a rare award, one that stopped being available for award in 1971. The Albert Medal he received posthumously had been instituted in 1866, but was only awarded 568 times by the time it was replaced with the George Cross.

The Albert Medal was initially awarded for the relatively narrow purpose of recognizing heroics in lifesaving at sea. It came in two versions, the top level award in Gold and the second level in bronze. Soon the award was updated to have a separate version for lifesaving heroics on land. The gold versions had precedence over the bronze versions, but all four versions came with the same post-nominal letters AM, as shown in Fanconi’s photo at the head of the article.

The Victoria Cross (VC) is (and was at the time) the highest award for any British subject, and only awarded for exceptional heroism in the face of the enemy. The Albert Medal (1st Class or in Gold) ranked just behind it. It thus served as the non-combat equivalent of a VC. The second class or bronze versions of the Albert Medal ranked a bit lower.

In WWII, two new non-combat awards were created to highlight the bravery of British citizens during the Blitz. These were the George Cross (GC) and the George Medal (GM). These awards were the non-combat equivalent of a VC or a Distinguished Service Order (the second-level combat gallantry award). In a comparison to American awards, the VC is like our Medal of Honor, the DSO is like our service cross. We have no direct equivalent to the George Cross, but a George Medal would be analogous to a Soldier’s or Airman’s Medal, or the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. Recipients of the GC are considered to rank with, but just below, a VC.

When the Albert Medal’s royal warrant was revoked, it became an extinct award. All living recipients of an AM were declared to now hold the George Cross. Deceased recipients obviously retain the award, but I note all of this so that we can understand that a recipient of an Albert Medal (particularly in gold) was deemed to have committed such personal bravery as to warrant a Victoria Cross if those actions had been done in front of the enemy. It was the highest award one could earn outside of active combat.

This all explains the scarcity of the award. Of the 568 awards noted previously, 498 of those were in the bronze/2nd class (216 for sea and 282 on land). That leaves only 25 gold/1st class awards for gallantry at sea and 45 in gold for actions on land. To compare, 628 VCs were awarded during WWI and 181 during WWII. Since its institution early in WWII, the George Cross has only been awarded 405 times. This makes the Albert Medal of the rarest and least frequently awarded medals in the entire British Honours system.

Fanconi’s photo above shows a youthful man, but he was actually much older than most junior enlistees of WWII. He was in his 30s when he joined the Royal Navy’s medical corps. In late June 1944, he was a medical aidman (rank of “sick berth attendant”) fighting in Normandy. It was there that he would earn the AM in gold (one of just 45 every awarded) for unbelievable bravery and determination. Here’s his award citation:

On 28th June, 1944, Fanconi was summoned to help men wounded by mines at Quineville in Normandy. He at once ran almost half a mile and went through what later proved to be a field of-anti-personnel mines to reach them.

He applied tourniquets and bandages; then, with help, carried two patients out of the drive which was the scene of the incident. This was a tiring and difficult task as it entailed hugging a wall all the way. Fanconi was on the more dangerous side throughout.

While the rescue party were considering how best to -help a third man who lay some distance within the minefield, another mine burst beneath the rubble on which they stood. This killed one helper and wounded Fanconi and another. Despite this, Fanconi tried to collect his scattered medical kit and to help his comrade. He had to crawl to do so, and was in great pain.

In his attempt, he exploded a further mine which blew off one of his feet. The explosion hurled him into the air, and when he fell he set off a third mine which severed his other foot. A Corporal made every effort to help him, but the kit was now of little use and Fanconi could not be saved.

All who had witnessed his selfless courage, his speed and skill in giving aid to others, all the while exposing himself to immediate danger, were inspired by his great example.

Now his descendants have learned just how rare (and valuable) Fanconi’s award truly is. Thankfully they are suggesting the medal, and presumably Fanconi’s story, should be put on display in a museum. That’s more fitting to me than the medal ending up in a private collection like so many British and Commonwealth awards have.

Here’s the BBC story;

The family of a man who was posthumously honoured for saving lives during World War Two are looking for a new home for his rare bravery medal.

Arturo Fanconi, better known as Arthur, was killed in France on 28 June 1944 while volunteering as a medical assistant in the Royal Navy.

The 38-year-old, who was born in Kent before his family moved to Ilminster, in Somerset, was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal (AM) in gold – the civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

Speaking to BBC Radio Somerset, his great-niece said it would be “wonderful” for the medal to be displayed publicly in a museum.

‘Selfless courage’

Mr Fanconi was a second-generation Swiss immigrant who grew up working in his father’s bakery and volunteering with the Red Cross.

After the outbreak of war, his nationality and occupation meant he was exempt from conscription.
But wanting to “do his bit” for the war effort, in 1943 he secretly volunteered for the medical branch of the Royal Navy, his great-niece Gill Haggarty said.
It resulted in him being deployed to Normandy as a sick bay attendant following the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944.

His AM citation describes how on 28 June 1944 he was summoned to help American servicemen wounded by mines at Quinéville.

He crossed a minefield to save two men but was injured in a blast while trying to reach a third.

Despite being in great pain, he gathered up his scattered medical kit and continued to crawl towards the patient.

Two more mines were set off in the process and Mr Fanconi was fatally wounded.

The citation concludes: “All who had witnessed his selfless courage, his speed and skill in giving aid to others, all the while exposing himself to immediate danger, were inspired by his great example.”

Ms Haggarty said they are “so proud” of Mr Fanconi, who is buried at the Bayeux War Cemetery.

“We just want to get that story out there because not only was he so brave in doing this, he actually shouldn’t have ever been anywhere near a war zone at all,” she added.

‘Very rare’

The Albert Medal was the precursor to the George Cross and was awarded sparingly between 1866 and 1971 for civilian acts of gallantry in saving life at sea and on land.

It was issued in the name of the monarch in two classes – the first in gold and the second in bronze.

Mr Fanconi’s gold medal was featured on a recent episode of BBC One TV programme Antiques Roadshow, filmed at Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery in west London.

Military expert Robert Tilney told the family it was “a very, very rare medal” with a value of between £20,000 and £25,000.

“[The value] goes a little tiny way to thanking somebody for that selfless heroism”, he added.

Speaking after the broadcast, Ms Haggarty told BBC Radio Somerset: “We’d always been told it was a special medal but we actually had no idea just how unusual it was.”

She said the medal is currently stored in a safe deposit box but it would be “wonderful” for it to be on public display in a museum.

She added it could be displayed alongside other related items, including the invitation to Buckingham Palace that the family received on Mr Fanconi’s behalf.

“We would very much like it to be somewhere so that other people that are interested can see it and know his story,” she said.

Category: Historical, Navy, UK and Commonwealth Awards, Valor, We Remember