About Us

 

The Association represents all living holders of the Victoria Cross and its equivalent the George Cross, which is awarded to civilians and military personnel.

The Association

The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association represents all living holders of the Victoria Cross and George Cross.

The Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the armed forces.

The George Cross

The George Cross (GC) is awarded to those who have displayed the greatest heroism or the most conspicuous courage whilst in extreme danger.  It is awarded both to civilians and to military personnel for non-operational gallantry or for gallantry not in the presence of the enemy.  The George Cross is equal in stature in the UK honours system to the Victoria Cross and this has always been the case since the introduction of the award in 1940.

At the second committee meeting of Victoria Cross Association, it was decided to invite George Cross holders to become Associate Members; this was felt to be in accord with King George VI's direction that the George Cross (awarded for gallantry when not in direct personal contact with the enemy) should be of equal standing with the Victoria Cross. It was also felt that future awards of the George Cross were likely to be rather more frequent than the Victoria Cross, since warfare on the scale of the last two world wars could not be visualised. In 1962 it was decided it would be more appropriate for GC holders to be full members, and the Association was re-named The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association.

For more information about the VC and GC Association visit the History page.

To see who our current members are, please visit the Our People page.

Trustees

 

Governance of Association

The VC and GC Association is governed by a committee made up of members of the Association supported by other trustees.

The trustee members of the Association are:
Pete Norton 
Tony Gledhill
Kim Hughes - Vice Chairman
Chris Finney - Chairman
Sam Shephard
Jim Beaton
Dom Troulan GC

David Jones

 

David Jones' father Lt Col H Jones VC was awarded the VC during the Falklands Conflict in 1982. After his father's death on leaving school David followed in his fathers footsteps joining the Army for 10 years in the Devonshire and Dorset Regiment. Since leaving the Army he has worked in the global Telecoms sector and more recently as a management consultant specialising in Business Transformation. David became a trustee to the VC and GC Association in 2011 and is married with two children.

Roger Davis

Roger Davis is currently Chairman of BUPA, Global RadioData Communications (GRC) and Future for Heroes. Roger began his career in the British Army, leaving in 1986 to join Robert Fleming Holdings moving to be Managing Director of India for Jardine Fleming in 1995. In 1997 Roger then moved to Hong Kong to take up the role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BZW, Asia Pacific. He was then appointed Chairman and Chief Executive of Barclays Capital, Asia Pacific, before returning to the UK as Chief Executive of Business Banking for Barclays. He left Barclays as Head of the UK Bank and as an Executive Director of Barclays in 2005. Roger was also previously Chairman of Cabot Credit Management, Sainsbury's Bank and Gem Diamonds and a non-executive Director of Experian.

Nicholas Oppenheim

 

Nicholas Oppenheim heads a family office in London, he was Chairman and Chief Executive of Aida Capital, a London based fund of hedge funds manager, a position that he held from its inception in 2001 until it was acquired by Standard Life in 2010. Throughout his career Nick has been engaged in corporate restructuring work, principally in financial service businesses. He serves on the Global Leadership Council at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and on the board of Columbia Business School in New York.

Didy Grahame OBE, MVO

 

Didy was Secretary of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association from 1970-72 and then from 1981- 2014. She is well travelled. She currently serves as Vice-President of the Civil Defence Association as well as Chairman of Grants Committee of the Knights of the Round Table. Didy is co-founder of the World Pheasant Association and helped to establish an educational Nature Reserve in north Essex. Her interests include family and friends, ornithology, conservation, music, art, travel and current affairs.

Sir George Zambellas GCB DSC DL

 

Sir George Zambellas completed a three year appointment as First Sea Lord in April 2016, a period that included the reset of the Royal Navy's authority and focus, in the Strategic Defence and Security Review. During his tenure, Sir George's focus was on people, to ensure that, with significant quantities of new equipment being delivered to the Navy, including two new carriers, new nuclear submarines and ships, the quantity and quality of emergent technical expertise would be ready.
Sir George has an extensive background in maritime war fighting, maritime security and joint command. He began his 36 year Naval career as a helicopter pilot embarked in frigates and carriers, before a series of sea commands, culminating in command of the UK Amphibious Force, the UK Maritime Force, NATO 4* Maritime Command and the Fleet. He has extensive operational experience, including as Chief of Staff in the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the Lebanon and Sierra Leone.
Interspersed, Sir George has a wealth of knowledge in the ways of the UK Ministry of Defence. He served on the Central Staff during the respected 1997 Defence Review, was Private Secretary to two Chiefs of the Defence Staff, and has served as Chief of Staff on numerous Boards and Committees.
Sir George Zambellas is now Chairman, praXec Limited, Founder and Chairman of CobWeb Cyber Security, a Senior Advisor to Liquid Robotics Inc, with numerous other business interests. An engineer by training, George is focussed principally on leadership, especially in technical businesses that seek breakthrough performance. His particular passion is for shaping and supporting fresh thinking within the top management of emerging technical sectors, and for leading-edge technologies - such as unmanned vehicles, artificial intelligence, cyber resilience, next generation computing, big data processing, bioengineering and advances in quantum mechanics.
Sir George is a Governor of Harrow School, a Director of the White Ensign Association, President of the Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, an Elder Brother of Trinity House, a Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset and Her Majesty’s Gentleman Usher to the Sword of State.

Rebecca Maciejewska

 

Rebecca Maciejewska is the current Chief Executive / Secretary to the Association. She trained and practised briefly as a barrister before the constraints of a peripatetic Army life took over. She has worked for The Army Families Federation, as a Resettlement Consultant for those leaving the Army, set up and ran Care for Casualties, The Rifles' fundraising network for bereaved families, the wounded and their families, and is a trustee for BLESMA. Outside the military and welfare world, she likes to escape to Italy, read history books, draw/paint and spend time with her family.

 

Sources and Acknowledgements:

 

All photographs in this work have been provided by the Imperial War Museum, London, except for those made available by the following individuals and organizations. The Victoria Cross and George Cross Association is deeply grateful to owners and copyright holders for permission to use these photographs in this book.

Alexander Turnbull Library, New Zealand: Bassett, C R G; Grant, J G; Hardham, W J; Heaphy, C; Judson, R S; Laurent, H J.
Australian War Memorial: Anderson, C G W; Axford, T L; Badcoe, P J; Bailey, E G; Beatham, R M; Bell, F W; Birks, F; Bisdee, J H; Blackburn, A S; Borella, A C; Brown, W E; Buckley, A H; Buckley, M V; Bugden, P J; Burton, A S; Carroll, J; Castleton, C C; Cooke, T; Currey, W M; Dalziel, H; Dartnell, W T; Davey, P; Derrick, T C; Donoghue, R T; Dunstan, W; Dwyer, J J; French, J A; Gaby, A E; Goldsworthy L V; Gordon, B S; Gosse, G; Grieve, R C; Gurney, A S; Hall, A C; Hamilton, J P; Hardy, B G; Howell, G J; Howse, N R; Ingram, G M; Jacka, A;Jackson,J W A;Jeffries, C S;Jensen,J C;Jones, R;Joynt, W D; Kelliher, R; Kenna, E; Kenny, T J B; Keysor, L M; Leak, J; Lowerson, A D; McCarthy, L D; McDougall, S R; McGee, L; Mackey, J B; McNamara, F H; Madden, H W; March, F H; Matthews, L C; Maxwell, J; Maygar, L C; Moon, R V; Mould, J S; Newland, J E; O’Meara, M; Payne, K; Pearse, S G; Peeler, W; Pope, C; Rattey, R R; Rogers, J; Ryan, E J F; Simpson, R S; Starcevich, L T; Statton, P C; Sullivan, A P; Syme, H R; Taylor, G A M; Taylor, P G; Throssell, H V H; Towner, E T; Tubb, F H; Wark, B A; Weathers, L C; Wheatley, K A; Woods, J P; Wylly, G G E.
British Airways: Harrison, Miss B J.
Cassidy & Leigh: Jones, H.
Contempory Newspaper: O’Shea, J M.
Ellingworth, D: Ellingworth, R V.
Gordon Highlanders: Lawson, E; Mackay, J F; Robertson, W.
Government Art Collection: Bastian, G L.
Grenadier Guards: Nairac, R L.
Gurkha Museum: Karanbahadur Rana; Kulbir Thapa.
King’s Royal Hussars: Browne-Synge-Hutchinson, E D.
Lord Hamish Hay: Hay, D G M.
Lt Col Styles: Styles, S G.
National Army Museum: Elton, F C; Khudadad Khan; Probyn, D M.
National Maritime Museum: Cotter, W R; Harrison, John (1857); Peel, W; Sheppard, J; Trewavas, J.
Reynolds, D: Reynolds, E W.
Royal Artillery: Dixon, M C.
Royal Engineers Museum: Archibald, A; Aylmer, F J; Bell, M S; Benner, M P; Campbell, A F; Cloutman, B M; Colvin, H; Colvin, J M C; Cowley, J G; Digby-Jones, R J T; Elphinstone, H C; Findlay, G de C E; Forsyth, S; Home, D C; Innes, J J M; Jarvis, C A; Johnston, W H; Kirby, F H; Lendrim, W J; MacDonald, H; Mitchell, C N; Neame, P; Perie, J; Prendergast, H N D; Wylie, G C.
Royal Green Jackets Museum: Addison, H; Belcher, D W; Bradshaw, J; Brooks, E; Burman, W F; Cates, G E; Congreve, W La T; Cooper, E; Cuninghame, W J M; Divane, J; Durrant, A E; Garvin, S; Gill, A; Gough,J E; Hawthorne, R; Humpston, R; Knight, A J; Knox,J S; Mariner, W; Marling, P S; Nash, W; Noble, C R; O’Hea, T; Peachment, G S; Phillipps, E A L; Price-Davies, L A E; Ranken, H S.
Royal Highland Fusiliers Museum: Hutchison, A J.
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers: Grant, R.
Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Museum: Bryan, T; Wood, W.
Royal Scots: Ford, D.
Royal Worcestershire Museum: Bennett, E P; Dancox, F G.
Scots Dragoon Guards: Ramage, H.
Somerset Military Museum: Napier, W.
Somerset Military Trust: Latutin, S; Silk, J H.
Stanistreet, Allan: Axon, J; Baker, J T; Hutchison, A.
The Times: Hodge, A M.
This England: O’Connor, L.
Victoria Cross and George Cross Association: Anderson, F J; Apiata, B H; Ashworth, J T; Beharry, J G; Biggs, K A; Budd, B J; Burslem, N G; Croucher, M; Donaldson, M G S; Finney, C; Guthrie, S G; Haller, F; Hughes, K S; Keighran, D A; Nandlal Thapa; Nightall, J W; Norton, P A; Roberts-Smith, B; Schmid, O S G; Wright, M W.

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