Private Johnson Beharry V.C

[Medvedya]

Read about it here

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/mai...ml&sSheet=/portal/2005/04/28/ixportaltop.html

 

[the lancaster kicks ass]

 

[evangilder]

An amazing man, and a great soldier!

 

[Nonskimmer]

So he finally got it. Good stuff!

 

[Medvedya]

I've put this in another post somewhere, but each medal has to be specially made for it's recipient from a slice of the final piece of a Russian field gun's bronze cascabel captured in the Crimean War.

There is enough metal left for another eighty five.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Oh really? I honestly didn't know that.
The VC is one of the few British medals which are still part of the Canadian military honours system. I'm curious if one were to be awarded whether they'd still use a piece of that cannon. I'd imagine nowadays any Canadian VC would be made from some other piece of bronze, but you never know.

 

[Medvedya]

No, if you or your collegues in the Canadian Armed Forces win a V.C you get exactly the same personal handmade gong, and your day at Buckingham Palace.

A VC is a VC.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/kcic1/vcwinners.html

 

[Nonskimmer]

Interesting.

 

[Medvedya]

The only difference is instead of 'For Valour' a Canadians will read 'Pro Valore'

 

[Nonskimmer]

Yeah, that I did know. It's to do with the whole bilingual thing. Easier to do that than to try and fit it on in both English and French.

 

[Medvedya]

This is a better site about Canadian V.C's - gives a brief account of each winners actions.

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group01/cdn_vc

 

[Nonskimmer]

Yeah, I've seen that. It's a good little record.

 

[Maestro]

If you prefer, there is always that site :
http://www.victoriacross.net/default.asp

 

[Medvedya]

Here's the sad story about a V.C winner who lived at a house which is five minutes walk from me.

That's not the only connection my family has with this story though.......

http://www.mdani.demon.co.uk/esjd/index.htm

 

[Nonskimmer]

Quite a heroic story.

Do tell, what other connection does it have with your family?

 

[Medvedya]

Ah, you'll have to read through to the end! It's much better explained there, since you also need to know what went wrong for him.

 

[Nonskimmer]

Whoops! Never even noticed the multiple pages.

Ah, the radio producer?

 

[Nonskimmer]

Correct?

 

[Medvedya]

Yep - good story eh?

 

[Nonskimmer]

Quite.