List of living Victoria Cross recipients

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As of 2019, there are five living recipients of the Victoria Cross, three living recipients of the
Victoria Cross for Australia and one living recipient of the Victoria Cross for New Zealand.[1]

The VC is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of
armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. It
takes precedence over all other Orders, decorations and medals; it may be awarded to a
person of any rank in any service and to civilians under military command.[2] The award was
officially constituted when Queen Victoria issued a warrant under the Royal sign-manual on
29 January 1856.[3][4] (gazetted 5 February 1856)[4] The order was backdated to 1854 to
recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War.[5] The first awards ceremony was held on
26 June 1857 where Queen Victoria invested 62 of the 111 Crimean recipients in a ceremony
in Hyde Park.[3]

The Victoria Cross has been awarded 1358 times to 1355 individual recipients. The first
citations of the VC, particularly those in the initial gazette of 24 February 1857, varied in the
details of each action; some specify one date, some date ranges, some the name of the battle
and others have both sets of information. The original Royal Warrant did not contain a
specific clause regarding posthumous awards, although official policy was to not award the
VC posthumously. Between 1859 and 1901, notices were issued in the London Gazette
regarding soldiers who would have been awarded the VC had they survived. In an exception
to policy in 1902, six soldiers were posthumously awarded the VC for gallantry during the
Boer War 1899–1902. In 1907, the posthumous policy was reversed and medals were sent to
the next of kin of the six officers and men who had been listed in the London Gazette for
actions prior to the South African War.[6] The Victoria Cross warrant was officially amended
to explicitly allow posthumous awards in 1920. One quarter of all awards for the First World
War were posthumous.[7][8]

Since 1991, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have created gallantry awards for
operational service in their own honours systems. The highest awards are the Victoria Cross
for Australia, the Canadian Victoria Cross and the Victoria Cross for New Zealand. One New
Zealand and four Australian Victoria Crosses have so far been awarded, with all but one of
the Australian recipients surviving to receive their medals. Of the living recipients, Willie
Apiata received the Victoria Cross for New Zealand on 26 July 2007; Mark Donaldson
received the Victoria Cross for Australia on 16 January 2009 and Ben Roberts-Smith
received the Victoria Cross for Australia on 23 January 2011, all for actions in Afghanistan.[9]
Daniel Keighran was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia for his actions in a fire fight
with insurgents in Oruzgan Province as part of Operation Slipper on 24 August 2010 [10]

Living recipients

Year of Location of
Name Unit
award gallantry
John Alexander 1944 No. 210 Squadron RAF Atlantic
Cruickshank (b. 20 May
 Year of Location of
Name Unit
award gallantry
1920)
Rambahadur Limbu (b. 8 2nd Bn, 10th Princess Mary's Own
1966 Sarawak, Malaysia
July 1939) Gurkha Rifles
Keith Payne (b. 30 Australian Army Training Team
1969 Ben Het, Vietnam
August 1933) Vietnam
1st Bn, The Princess of Wales's
Johnson Beharry (b. 26
2005 Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Al-Amarah, Iraq
July 1979)
Hampshires)
Willie Apiata (b. 28 June
1972) 2007 New Zealand Special Air Service Afghanistan
(Victoria Cross for New Zealand)

Mark Donaldson (b. 2

Australian Special Air Service Oruzgan Province,
April 1979) 2009
(Victoria Cross for Australia) Regiment Afghanistan
Ben Roberts-Smith (b. 1
Australian Special Air Service Kandahar Province,
November 1978) 2011
(Victoria Cross for Australia) Regiment Afghanistan
Daniel Keighran (b. 18
6th Battalion, Royal Australian Oruzgan Province,
June 1983) 2012
(Victoria Cross for Australia) Regiment Afghanistan
Helmand Province,
Joshua Leakey (b. 1988) 2015 Parachute Regiment
Afghanistan

Recently deceased
Recipients who died within the last five years are listed below.

Year
Location of
Name of Unit Deceased Notes
gallantry
award
The Black Watch (Royal
William Highland Regiment) 20 June
1951 Korea
Speakman (att'd 1st Bn, King's Own 2018
Scottish Borderers)

References
1.
 Since 1991, three Commonwealth countries that retain the Queen as head of state have
instituted their own versions of the VC. See Victoria Cross for Australia, Victoria Cross
(Canada) and Victoria Cross for New Zealand.
  Ashcroft, Michael; preface; XI–XIII
  Ashcroft, Michael; Preface to Victoria Cross Heroes
  The Gazette publishing the original Royal Warrant
"No. 21846". The London Gazette. 5 February 1856. pp. 410–411.
  Ashcroft, Michael; pp.7–10
  "No. 27986". The London Gazette. 15 January 1907. p. 325.
  Crook, MJ, Chapter 8 pp.68–90
  "No. 31946". The London Gazette. 18 June 1920. p. 6702.
  "Press kit related to July 2007 gallantry awards (NZ)" (PDF). NZ Government
through news agency. 2 July 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
 "Soldier honoured with Victoria Cross medal". Fairfax. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 1
November 2012.