45-727: Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari GC (15 December 1916 – 29 October 1943) of the 5th Battalion, 7th Rajput Regiment , in the Indian Army during World War II , and member of the British Army Aid Group . He was awarded the George Cross posthumously . The decoration, the highest British (and Commonwealth ) award for bravery out of combat, was announced in a supplement to the London Gazette of 16 April 1946 as being awarded for
90-531: A half inches. Bars can be awarded for further acts of bravery meriting the GC, although none have yet been awarded. In common with the Victoria Cross, in undress uniform or on occasions when the medal ribbon alone is worn, a miniature replica of the cross is affixed to the centre of the ribbon, a distinction peculiar to these two premier awards for bravery. In the event of a second award, a second replica would be worn on
135-629: A heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history. The Governor answered: By God's help Malta will not weaken but will endure until victory is won. The cross and the messages are today in the War Museum in Fort Saint Elmo , Valletta . The fortitude of the population under sustained enemy air raids, and a naval blockade which almost saw them starved into submission, won widespread admiration in Britain and other Allied nations. Eric Grove argued on
180-477: A person of any military rank in any service and to civilians including police, emergency services and merchant seamen. Many of the awards have been personally presented by the British monarch to recipients or, in the case of posthumous awards, to next of kin. The investitures are usually held at Buckingham Palace . The George Cross was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI . At this time, shortly after
225-514: Is available in a number of machine-readable formats, including XML (delivery by email/ FTP ) and XML/ RDFa via Atom feed . The London Gazette was first published as The Oxford Gazette on 7 November 1665. Charles II and the Royal Court had moved to Oxford to escape the Great Plague of London , and courtiers were unwilling to touch London newspapers for fear of contagion. The Gazette
270-666: Is unlawful in Malta to use the George Cross, an imitation of it or the words George Cross for the purposes of trade or business without the Prime Minister 's authorisation. The London Gazette The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom , and the most important among such official journals in
315-628: The 2023 Coronation . The George Cross has been awarded to the island of Malta, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the National Health Service of the United Kingdom. The GC was awarded to the island of Malta in a letter dated 15 April 1942 from King George VI to the island's Governor Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie : To honour her brave people, I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta to bear witness to
360-512: The Julian calendar with the start of year as 25 March. (Modern secondary sources may adjust the start of the calendar year during this period to 1 January, while retaining the original day and month. Using this adjustment, an issue with a printed date of 24 March 1723 ( O.S. ) will be reported as being published in 1724 – the same solar year as an issue published two days later, on 26 March 1724.) In time of war, dispatches from
405-592: The New Zealand Cross replaced the role of the George Cross. Up until then, the last George Cross awarded to a New Zealander, was posthumously awarded to Sgt Stewart Guthrie of the New Zealand Police for his actions and bravery during the Aramoana massacre . Holders of the Victoria Cross or the George Cross are entitled to an annuity , the amount of which is determined by the awarding government. As of 2015 ,
450-662: The 'most conspicuous gallantry.' He was taken prisoner when Japan occupied Hong Kong in December 1941 after the Battle of Hong Kong . After the Japanese discovered that he was related to the ruler of one of the Princely States they demanded that he renounce his allegiance to the British and foment discontent in the ranks of Indian prisoners in the prison camps. He refused and was thrown into
495-555: The 162 individuals who received original awards, 86 have been posthumous. In addition, there were five posthumous recipients of the Empire Gallantry Medal whose awards in four cases were gazetted after the start of the Second World War and whose awards were also exchanged for the GC. All the other exchange recipients were living as of the date of the decisions for the exchanges. Dominic Troulan represented recipients at
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#1732855512252540-612: The Albert Medal and the Edward Medal (EM) became George Cross recipients, but unlike the EGM exchange of insignia, they had the option of retaining their original insignia. Of the 69 holders of the Albert Medal and 70 holders of the Edward Medal eligible to exchange, 49 and 59 respectively took up the option. The GC, which may be awarded posthumously, is granted in recognition of: acts of
585-608: The BBC in 2017 that the George Cross was awarded as a propaganda gesture and consequently 'the island of Malta could not be allowed to fall as Singapore had done. Indeed, the North African campaign was being fought in 1942 as much to sustain Malta as vice versa.' The George Cross was incorporated into the Flag of Malta in 1943 and, since independence in 1964, remains on the flag. The GC was awarded to
630-470: The British government for non-operational gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system , the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, has been equal in stature to the Victoria Cross , the highest military award for valour. It is awarded "for acts of the greatest heroism or for most conspicuous courage in circumstance of extreme danger", not in the presence of
675-675: The Canadian Cross of Valour instead. The George Cross was awarded to 23 Australians, 11 to the Australian forces and 12 to civilians. It is the highest decoration of the Australian honours system after the British Victoria Cross and the Victoria Cross for Australia . Although Australia established the Cross of Valour within the Australian honours system in 1975 'for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril' it
720-581: The GC (along with that of the George Medal), dated 24 September 1940, was published in The London Gazette on 31 January 1941. The King in his speech announcing the new award, stated that it would rank next to the Victoria Cross. This was second on the Order of Wear, much higher than the then existing awards for bravery not in the presence of the enemy, the highest being the two-class Albert Medal (AM); and
765-677: The GC (in 1978) was Constable Michael Kenneth Pratt of the Victoria Police, Melbourne , for arresting two armed bank robbers in June 1976. For 39 years until the award to Dominic Troulon in 2017, Pratt was the most recent living civilian George Cross recipient. A memorial to Australian recipients, George Cross Park, was opened in Canberra , the Australian capital, on 4 April 2001 by the Governor General of Australia , Sir William Deane . In 1999,
810-807: The GC has been awarded 416 times: 401 to men, 12 to women, and three times collectively, to the Island of Malta , the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the National Health Service (NHS). There have been 165 original awards including those to Malta, the RUC and the NHS, including 106 made before 1947. About 30% of the 162 original awards to individuals have been to civilians. There have been 251 exchange awards, 112 to Empire Gallantry Medal recipients, 69 to Albert Medal recipients and 70 to Edward Medal recipients. Of
855-609: The Patten Report, with "the Police Service of Northern Ireland (incorporating the Royal Ulster Constabulary)" established on 4 November 2001. The RUC is often referred to as "RUC GC"; the 2000 act established a registered charity "to be known as 'The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC Foundation' for the purpose of marking the sacrifices and honouring the achievements of the Royal Ulster Constabulary"; other instances include
900-435: The RUC in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II following the advice of the first Blair ministry . The citation published by Buckingham Palace on 23 November 1999 stated: For the past 30 years, the Royal Ulster Constabulary has been the bulwark against, and the main target of, a sustained and brutal terrorism campaign. The Force has suffered heavily in protecting both sides of the community from danger—302 officers have been killed in
945-432: The Royal Ulster Constabulary and who have accepted the danger and stress this has brought to them and to their families. The Queen presented the George Cross on 12 April 2000 in a ceremony at Hillsborough Castle , County Down , attended by the senior RUC officers; the cross was accepted by Constable Paul Slaine, who had lost both legs in a 1992 IRA attack . The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 gave effect to much of
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#1732855512252990-1186: The United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published. The Gazette is not a conventional newspaper offering general news coverage. It does not have a large circulation. Other official newspapers of the UK government are The Edinburgh Gazette and The Belfast Gazette , which, apart from reproducing certain materials of nationwide interest published in The London Gazette , also contain publications specific to Scotland and Northern Ireland , respectively. In turn, The London Gazette carries not only notices of UK-wide interest, but also those relating specifically to entities or people in England and Wales. However, certain notices that are only of specific interest to Scotland or Northern Ireland are also required to be published in The London Gazette . The London , Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes are published by TSO (The Stationery Office) on behalf of His Majesty's Stationery Office . They are subject to Crown copyright . The London Gazette claims to be
1035-683: The Victoria Cross for Australia and the British Victoria Cross is included in s.103 of the Veterans' Entitlement Act and is presently $ A4,447 per year. Although there is not a statutory instrument for the payment of the George Cross annuity, both annuities for the Australian Cross of Valour and George Cross match the Victoria Cross Allowance payment. Since 1943, in accordance with the George Cross (Restriction of Use) Ordinance , it
1080-621: The annuity paid by the British government was £ 10,000. In Canada under the Gallantry Awards Order , members of the Canadian Forces , or people who joined the British forces before 31 March 1949 while domiciled in Canada or Newfoundland , receive $ 3,000 per year. Australia has been responsible for the payment of both the Victoria Cross Allowance and the George Cross annuity since the 1940s. The Victoria Cross Allowance which includes both
1125-564: The award followed an 18-month period in which the health service had been at the forefront of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in the UK . The message read: It is with great pleasure, on behalf of a grateful nation, that I award the George Cross to the National Health Services of the United Kingdom. This award recognises all NHS staff, past and present, across all disciplines and all four nations. Over more than seven decades, and especially in recent times, you have supported
1170-526: The climax of the Battle of Britain and during the third week of the Blitz , there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage. The existing awards open to civilians were not judged suitable to meet the new situation, therefore it was decided to institute the George Cross and the George Medal to recognise civilian gallantry in the face of enemy action, and brave deeds more generally. Announcing
1215-415: The enemy, to members of the British armed forces and to British civilians. Posthumous awards have been allowed since it was instituted. It was previously awarded to residents of Commonwealth countries (and in one case to Malta , a colony that subsequently became a Commonwealth country), most of which have since established their own honours systems and no longer recommend British honours. It may be awarded to
1260-719: The escapees. Courage of a different sort was displayed by two prisoners of war who endured terrible suffering. Captain Lionel Colin Matthews was eventually executed by his captors for building a resistance network in British North Borneo in the Second World War, while Private Horace William Madden , captured in Korea in 1951, died of privations while assisting fellow prisoners and openly resisting enemy efforts to force him to collaborate. The last Australian to be awarded
1305-545: The extremely dangerous role of mine disposal during the Second World War . Privates Benjamin Gower Hardy and Ralph Jones were posthumously awarded the George Cross for manning a Vickers machine gun during the Cowra breakout , a mass escape by Japanese prisoners of war in central New South Wales on 5 August 1944. Hardy and Jones disabled the weapon and denied its use to the escaping prisoners before they were overwhelmed and killed by
1350-463: The general public. His Majesty's Stationery Office took over the publication of the Gazette in 1889. Publication of the Gazette was transferred to the private sector in 2006, under government supervision, when HMSO was sold and renamed The Stationery Office . Until Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 came into effect on 1 January 1752 ( N.S. ) , the Gazette was published with a date based on
1395-554: The greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger. The award is for civilians but also for military personnel whose actions would not normally be eligible to receive military awards, such as gallantry not in the face of the enemy. The Warrant states: The Cross is intended primarily for civilians and award in Our military services is to be confined to actions for which purely military Honours are not normally granted. The Cross shall be worn by recipients on
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1440-506: The left breast suspended from a ribbon one and a quarter inches in width, of dark blue, that it shall be worn immediately after the Victoria Cross and in front of the Insignia of all British Orders of Chivalry. When the Cross is worn by a woman, it may be worn on the left shoulder, suspended from a ribbon fashioned into a bow. In June 1941 the specification of the ribbon width was amended to one and
1485-404: The line of duty and thousands more injured, many seriously. Many officers have been ostracised by their own community and others have been forced to leave their homes in the face of threats to them and their families. As Northern Ireland reaches a turning point in its political development this award is made to recognise the collective courage and dedication to duty of all of those who have served in
1530-418: The lowest being the single class Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM). In a substitution of awards unprecedented in the history of British decorations, holders of the EGM were required to exchange their insignia for the GC, most receiving their replacement GC at a formal investiture. The four honorary EGM awards to foreigners were not exchanged and could therefore continue to be worn. In 1971, surviving recipients of
1575-555: The names of the RUC GC Widows' Association, RUC GC Historical Society, and RUCGC–PSNI Benevolent Fund. On 5 July 2021, on the 73rd anniversary of the founding of the NHS of the UK, Queen Elizabeth II announced in a personal handwritten message that the four NHS organisations of the United Kingdom would be awarded the George Cross. It was reported that the award was recommended by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. The conferral of
1620-543: The new award, the King said: In order that they should be worthily and promptly recognised, I have decided to create, at once, a new mark of honour for men and women in all walks of civilian life. I propose to give my name to this new distinction, which will consist of the George Cross, which will rank next to the Victoria Cross, and the George Medal for wider distribution. The medal was designed by Percy Metcalfe . The Warrant for
1665-571: The notorious Stanley Jail in May 1942 where he was starved and brutalised. And also held in Ma Tau Chung Camp , where he expended efforts to counter Japanese recruiting work for the collaborationist Indian National Army . When he remained firm in his allegiance to the British on his return to the prison camps he was again incarcerated in Stanley Jail where he was starved and tortured for five months. He
1710-673: The oldest surviving English newspaper and the oldest continuously published newspaper in the UK, having been first published on 7 November 1665 as The Oxford Gazette . The claim to being oldest is also made by the Stamford Mercury (1712) and Berrow's Worcester Journal (1690). The London Gazette is published each weekday, except for bank holidays . Notices for the following, among others, are published: His Majesty's Stationery Office has digitised all issues of The Gazette, and these are available online. The official Gazettes are published by The Stationery Office . The content
1755-476: The people of our country with courage, compassion and dedication, demonstrating the highest standards of public service. You have our enduring thanks and heartfelt appreciation. Elizabeth R. There have been 10 GCs awarded to Canadians including those by substitution for awards superseded by the GC. The recipients comprised nine men and one woman. The GC is no longer awarded to Canadians by the King of Canada , who awards
1800-459: The ribbon. Recipients are entitled to the postnominal letters GC. All original individual GC awards and the latest collective award to the National Health Service have been published in The London Gazette . The George Cross Committee of the Cabinet Office considers cases of military and civilian gallantry. The committee has no formal terms of reference. Since its inception in 1940,
1845-588: The stolid tenant farmer of 1722 to the lavishly spending faux-genteel farmers of 1822: Man to the plough / Wife to the cow Girl to the yarn / Boy to the barn And your rent will be netted. Man tally-ho / Miss piano Wife silk and satin / Boy Greek and Latin And you'll all be Gazetted . Notices of engagement and marriage were also formerly published in the Gazette . Gazettes, modelled on The London Gazette , were issued for most British colonial possessions. Many of these continued after independence, and to
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1890-470: The various conflicts are published in The London Gazette . Soldiers who are mentioned in despatches will also be named in the Gazette. When members of the armed forces are promoted, and these promotions are published here, the person is said to have been "gazetted". Being "gazetted" (or "in the gazette") also meant having official notice of one's bankruptcy published, as in the classic ten-line poem comparing
1935-416: Was "Published by Authority" by Henry Muddiman , and its first publication is noted by Samuel Pepys in his diary . The King returned to London as the plague dissipated, and the Gazette moved too, with the first issue of The London Gazette (labelled No. 24) being published on 5 February 1666. The Gazette was not a newspaper in the modern sense: it was sent by post to subscribers, not printed for sale to
1980-493: Was not until 1992 that Australia officially ceased recommending British honours. During the period 1975 to 1992, the last George Cross to an Australian was awarded in 1978. Of the 23 awards, 14 were direct awards and nine were Empire Gallantry Medal (two), Albert Medal (six) and Edward Medal (one) exchange awards. Four awards were to officers of the Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve who served in
2025-540: Was then returned to the original camp, where he continued in his allegiance to the British, and even helped to organise escape attempts by other prisoners. He was sentenced to death, with over thirty other British, Chinese and Indian prisoners and beheaded on 29 October 1943. He is buried in Stanley Military Cemetery in Hong Kong. George Cross The George Cross ( GC ) is the highest award bestowed by
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