MEDAL WINNERS

Victoria Crosses on the Western Front – Continuation of the German 1918 Offensives 24 March-24 July 1918, Paul Oldfield. Eighth in this series, covering all but the first three days of the German offensives of 1918, from the fourth day of Operation Michael on the Somme to the end of the Champagne-Marne offensive, so a period of open warfare unlike anything seen since 1914. Starts with a narrative account of the campaigns, including accounts of the how each recipient won their VC, then moves on to a larger series of alphabetically organised biographies. A very impressive achievement, if rather too large to be used as a field guide (Read Full Review)

Victoria Crosses on the Western Front – 1917 to Third Ypres, 27 January 1917-27 July 1917, Paul Oldfield. Continues this series looking at all of the Victoria Crosses of the First World war, covering the period between the end of the battle of the Somme and the start of the third battle of Ypres, including the Arras offensive and the battle of Messines. Combines a narrative of the events leading to the award, a guide to the battlefield and detailed biographies of the inviduals involved (Read Full Review)

Victoria Crosses on the Western Front - Somme 1916, 1 July 1916-13 November 1916, Paul Oldfield. Splits the story into two halves, first a series of narratives of the various stages of the battle looking at the context of how the VCs were won, and then a longer section of biographies, covering the lives of VC holders themselves as well as their families. The first half provides a readable narrative of the battle and it’s Victoria Crosses, the second half is much more of a reference work(Read Full Review)

The First VCs - The Stories behind the First Victoria Crosses of the Crimean War and the Definition of Courage, John Grehan. Combines a history of the earliest winners of the Victoria Cross with a history of the foundation of the medal itself, all taking place against the background of the Crimean War. Looks at the sort of deeds that were felt to be worthy of reward when the first Victoria Crosses were awarded after the end of the war, as well as the debate that led to the creation of the award in the first place [read full review]

Victoria Crosses on the Western Front: August 1914 - April 1915, Mons to Hill 60, Paul Oldfield. Covers those VCs won between the outbreak of the First World War and April 1915, using an unusual (and very successful) format, with a narrative of the combat operations involved filling the first half of the book and individual biographies of the VC winners in the second half. Covers the first 59 Victoria Crosses to be won on the Western Front, so is able to include far more detail than in more general books [read full review]

VCs of the North - Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland, Alan Whitworth. Looks at just under fifty winners of the Victoria Cross associated with the northern counties of Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland, covering the entire history of the award. The small number of recipients covered allows the author to include a great deal more background information than is normally the case in books on the V.C., allowing us to trace the impact of winning the V.C. on its recipients. Also allows the inclusion of many eyewitness accounts of the deeds themselves [read full review]

The Complete George Cross, Kevin Brazier. A single volume history of the George Cross, with brief accounts of each award, both of the George Cross and of awards that were later exchanged for the GC, a total of 406 awards at the time of writing. The main focus is on brief accounts of the incidents which led to the award, with a sentence of two on earlier life or later fate. A good single volume reference work on the GC. [read full review]

The Complete Victoria Cross, Kevin Brazier. This book takes an interesting approach, listing the VC winners in chronological order within each conflict, and as a result giving an excellent feel for the way each war developed. A good introduction gives the history of the VC and includes the original warrant of 1856, setting the scene for the 1,358 tales of bravery that follow [read full review]

The Awards of the George Cross, 1940-2009, John Frayn Turner. A chronological look at the 160 recipients of the George Cross, the highest ranked British award for gallantry away from the Front Line, stretching from the first awards in 1940 to that awarded to Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher in 2008. [read full review]

British Military Medals, Peter Duckers. A very useful guide to British campaign and gallantry medals, starting with a look at the early history of medals, before moving on to a chronological examination of campaign medals, and finishing with a look at gallantry medals. Each section is supported by a valuable guide to the sources available to anyone researching these medals, especially those in the National Archive at Kew. [read full review]

One Step Further: Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded with the George Cross: Book A. Marion Hebblethwaite. This is the first volume of nine devoted to the people who have been award the George Cross, the highest British award for bravery that can given to a civilian. This is a revised second edition, with an introduction that explains the system of gallantry awards and how they relate to the George Cross [see more]

One Step Further: Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded with the George Cross - Including All Five GC's Awarded to Pow's in Hong Kong: Book F and G, Marion Hebblethwaite. The George Cross was created in 1940 as the civilian version of the Victoria Cross. This book is one of a series looking at the brave men and women who won this medal.

One Step Further: Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded with the George Cross: Book N to R., Marion Hebblethwaite. This book is volume seven in a series devoted to telling the stories of the winners of the George Cross, and covers recipients of the award with surnames beginning with N to R. This is a fascinating book, which provides a valuable insight into the bravery and self sacrifice required to win this medal. [see more]

One Step Further: Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded with the George Cross: Book W to Y, Marion Hebblethwaite. This is the final volume (of nine) in the series of books devoted to those people who have been awarded the George Cross. As well as the winners with surnames from W to Y, this book also includes a sizable section of updates and corrections for the earlier books in the series [see more].

One Step Further: Those Whose Gallantry Was Rewarded with the George Cross: Nine Volume Set, Marion Hebblethwaite. This set of nine books tells the stories of every winner of the George Cross, as well as explaining the medal itself and its predecessors. [see more]

Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients, Gordon Williamson. Osprey, 2006. This book looks at the twenty seven men who won Germany's highest award for bravery during the Second World War. [SEE MORE]