CONTEXT
Military Valour Decorations are national honours awarded to recognize acts of valour, self-sacrifice or devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy.
ELIGIBILITY & CRITERIA
A person is eligible to be awarded a Military Valour Decoration if that person, on or after January 1, 1993 is:
- a member of the Canadian Forces; or
- a member of an allied armed force that is serving with or in conjunction with the Canadian Forces.
The Victoria Cross shall be awarded for the most conspicuous bravery, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty, in the presence of the enemy.
DESCRIPTION
A bronze straight-armed cross pattee, 38 mm across, with raised edges:
- on the obverse, a lion guardant standing upon the Royal Crown, and below the Crown, a scroll bearing the inscription “PRO VALORE”; and
- on the reverse, the date of the act for which the decoration is bestowed is engraved in a raised circle.
The Cross is suspended by means of a plain link from a V below a straight bar ornamented with laurel leaves, on the back of which is engraved the rank, name and unit of the recipient.
The Bar the Victoria Cross is a bronze bar, ornamented with laurel leaves.
The ribbon is crimson and is 38 mm in width. Note that the ribbon is identical to its British predecessor.
BAR(S)
Each subsequent award of the Cross shall be indicated by a bar.
WEARING
The Cross shall be worn in sequence, as prescribed in the Canadian Orders, Decorations and Medals Directive, and in the following manner:
- on the left breast, suspended from the ribbon described above ahead of all other Canadian orders, decorations and medals; and
- where the undress ribbon is worn, each award of the Cross shall be indicated by a small representation of the Cross, and where two or more such representations are worn those representations shall be equally spaced on the ribbon.
- The bar shall be attached to the centre of the ribbon from which the Cross is suspended, and where two or more bars are attached, those bars shall be equally spaced on the ribbon.
POSTNOMINALS
A recipient is entitled to use the letters “V.C.” after his name.
HISTORICAL NOTES
The Canadian Victoria Cross described above replaced the original British Victoria Cross awarded to 94 brave Canadians (Canadian-born, serving with the Canadian forces or closely connected to Canada) during many conflicts between the creation of the award in 1856 and the end of the Second World War. The new Canadian Victoria Cross is identical to the original award, only the motto on the obverse has been changed from “For Valour” to “Pro Valore”.
The original Victoria Cross has been awarded to 94 Canadians (out of a total of 1351 Crosses and 3 bars awarded in the British Empire). Canada's last surviving recipient of the Victoria Cross, Sergeant Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith, V.C., C.M., O.B.C., C.D., (Retired), passed away on August 3, 2005.
The British Victoria Cross was designed by His Royal Highness The Prince Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria. The modifications incorporated into the Canadian Victoria Cross were designed by Bruce Beatty. The details of the recipient will be engraved on the reverse of the suspension bar while the date of the action will be engraved on the reverse of the Cross itself.
Honours & Awards
