Product Description

The Victoria Cross can only be 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.' It has been awarded only 1,354 times since 1856, the majority going to British and Commonwealth troops.

Symbol of Courage vividly brings the story of the medal to life, giving a narrative history from the Crimean War to the recent war in Afghanistan. It includes many first-hand accounts of individual acts of bravery and describes what happened to the VC holders, some of whom found 'it was harder wearing the medal than winning it'. It also gives a complete listing of every VC holder with details of the action in which they won the medal. Written by acclaimed military historian Max Arthur, this is a fascinating and comprehensive study that will appeal to everyone who is interested in military history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80184 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

The British Army Review
There has been a long gap in the market for a comprehensive book about Britain's highest military decoration for gallantry.

About the Author

Max Arthur is the author of ten previous books, including the bestsellers Forgotten Voices of the Great War, Above all - Courage, and There Shall Be Wings. He is the military obituarist for the Independent.

Customer Reviews

a long awaited book
I have been looking for a book like this for a long time it gives in detail how every VC was won from the fisrt one issued up to and includeing the falklands war an excellent read being hard to put down

Valuable addition to VC history
Max Arthur's new book has filled a gap in VC literature. Not since "The Victoria Cross 1856-1920" by Creagh & Humphris (pub.1920), has there been a book that attempts to describe every action chronologically of all 1341 recipients. What sets the book apart is the full description of the campaigns, which give the reader a point of reference. This is of great help, especially with some of the more obscure colonial wars like the Second Nada Hill Expedition 1879-80 and the Karen-Ni Expedition of 1888-89.
There is a very informative glossary and a biographical index of the award recipients in alphabetical order, which includes their final resting place. There is a most useful appendix, which lists the VC recipients and the London Gazette details.
There are many interesting snippets added to the descriptions of the actions. A couple of examples are:- John McGregor of the Canadian Mounted Rifles who enlisted in 1915 after travelling 120 miles cross-country in snowshoes - Patrick Roddy of the Bengal Army during the Indian Mutiny he was offered a bar to his VC but chose promotion instead. He would have been the first VC & bar.
As the Editor of the Victoria Cross Society, I have no hesitation in thoroughly recommending this excellent book - a 'must' for all students of the VC and a good book to those who wish to learn more.

A good book
And very well written and interesting !.

Its a lot easier to read than David Harveys seminal 2 volume set called "Monuments to Courage" and its a good book !