The Awards of the George Cross, 1940-2009, John Frayn Turner

The Awards of the George Cross, 1940-2009, John Frayn Turner

The George Cross was created in 1940 as the highest ranked British award from gallantry away from the front line. As of February 2008 the George Cross had been awarded directly 160 times, 158 times to individuals, once to Malta and once to the Royal Ulster Constabulary.  

In an unusual choice the individual stories are presented in chronological rather than the more familiar alphabetical order. This means that we get a clear picture of the type of acts that won the award at different periods, bringing some themes to the fore - bomb disposal, flying accidents and accidents during grenade training turn up on a regular basis. One flaw, given the chronological order of the entries, is the lack of an index of names.

This is a good single-volume study of the George Cross, filled with inspiring accounts of bravery, ranging from instantaneous decisions that cost the recipient their lives, to long periods of sustained courage in enemy captivity.  

Chapters
1 - 1940
2 - 1941
3 - 1942
4 - 1943
5 - 1944
6 - 1945
7 - 1946
8 - 1947
9 - 1950
10 - 1960-1970
11 - 1971-1977
12 - 1989-2009

Author: John Frayn Turner
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 177
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
Year: Updated 2010 edition of 2006 original


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