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Book Reviews - |
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Symbol of Courage: A History of the Victoria Cross |
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ISBN: 0283073519 |
RRP: £25.00 |
Author: Max Arthur |
Publisher: Sidgwick & Jackson |
Pub Date: May 2004 |
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Symbol of Courage is a ground-breaking history of Britain's most famous medal, the Victoria Cross, and a tribute to the extraordinary men who have won it. 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 the Crimean War. Symbol of Courage vividly brings the story of the medal to life, with a narrative history of every conflict in which the VC has been awarded and details of every VC holder with an account of the action in which he won the medal. Max Arthur, who is an acclaimed military historian and bestselling author of Forgotten Voices of the Great War, has written a fascinating and comprehensive study that will appeal to everyone interested in the nature of courage. A great read of 'boys own stories' as it were in bite-sized chunks. Fantastic! |
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"On 21 August 1918 at Courcelles, France, during an attack, the infantry lost their bearings in dense fog and Lieutenant Colonel West at once collected any men he could find and led them to their objective, in face of heavy machine-gun fire. On 2 September at Vaulx Vraucourt, he arrived at the front line when the enemy were delivering a local counter-attack. The infantry battalion had suffered heavy officer casualties and realizing the danger if they gave way,and despite the enemy being almost upon them, Colonel West rode up and down in face of certain death, encouraging the men. He fell riddled with bullets. His magnificent bravery at a critical moment so inspired the infantry that the hostile attack was
defeated."