How to look for records of... Victoria Cross registers 1856-1944

How can I view the records covered in this guide?

How many are online?

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What are these records?

These records in series WO 98 are the registers of the Victoria Cross between 1856 and 1944.

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest award available to the armed forces for gallantry in action with the enemy. It was originally made from the bronze cannon captured during the Crimean War (1854-1856). At first it was awarded only to British Army and Royal Navy personnel, but it was subsequently given to members of the other armed forces.

What information do the records contain?

The Victoria Cross registers may contain information about:

  • when the award was made
  • by whom and to whom the award was made
  • if it was a posthumous award

The registers are heavily annotated. They were used when organising the 100th anniversary celebrations of the creation of the Victoria Cross, when many more recipients were still alive.

How do I search the records?

You can search and download (£) the records in Discovery, our catalogue, by filling in the form below.

You do not need to fill out every field to search these records.

Alternatively you can download free of charge a list of the recipients of the Victoria Cross from 1856 up to 1946 (CAB 106/320). This list was produced in 1953 and includes two awards made during the Korean War (1950-1953) and so provides a more complete picture.

What do the records look like?

The examples below illustrate what an entry on the Victoria Cross registers look like. The rank, name and corps of the inidividual are listed, as are the actions for which they are recommended. Hand-written notes can also be seen, providing further details on the individuals awarded the Victoria Cross.

Sidney Godley was the first private to be awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War. Lieutenant G Bromhead was the basis for Michael Caine’s character in the film Zulu.

Record showing Private Sidney Godley (PDF, 0.82MB)

Record showing Lieutenant G Bromhead (PDF, 0.30MB)

Why can’t I find what I’m looking for?

Of the more than 1,350 awards made, including three bars, only 1,236 people have been recorded in the registers.

Information not contained in the registers

The following table lists those recipients of the Victoria Cross whose names do not appear in the registers. These volumes include all awards gazetted to 1 September 1944.

Name Rank Regiment Date Locale
Agansing Rai Naik 2 Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army 26 June 1944 Bishnpur, Burma
Ali Haidar Sepoy 13th Frontier Force Rifles, Indian Army 9 April 1945 Fusignano, Italy
Allmand, Michael Acting Captain Indian Armoured Corps attached 6th Gurkha Rifles 11 June 1944 Pin Hmi Road Bridge, Burma
Archibald, Adam Sapper 218 Field Company Royal Engineers 4 November 1918 Near Ors, France
Auten, Harold Lieutenant Royal Naval Reserve 30 July 1918 English Channel
Badcoe, Peter John Major Australian Army Training Team, Australian Forces 23 February 1967 Huong Tra, Vietnam
Baskeyfield, John Daniel Lance Sergeant South Staffordshire Regiment, 1st Airborne Division 20 September 1944 Arnhem, Holland
Bates, Sidney Corporal Royal Norfolk Regiment 6 August 1944 Sourdeval, France
Bazalgette, Ian Willoughby Acting Squadron Leader 635 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 4 August 1944 Trossy St Maximin, France
Beharry, Johnson Gideon Private 1 Battalion Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment 1 May – 11 June 2004 Al-Amarah, Iraq
Bhanbhagta Gurung Rifleman 3 Battalion 2nd Gurkha Rifles, British Indian Army 5 March 1945 Tamandu, Burma
Bhandari Ram Sepoy 10th Baluch Regiment, Indian Army 22 November 1944 East Mayu, Arakan, Burma
Blake, Frank Gerald Temporary Major Highland Light Infantry attached 3 Battalion 9th Gurkha Rifles 9 July 1944 Taunghi, Burma
Boyle, Edward Courtney Lieutenant Commander Royal Navy 27 April 1915 Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles,Turkey
Brunt, John Henry Cound Temporary Captain Sherwood Foresters attached 6 Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment 9 December 1944 Faenza, Italy
Buckingham, William Private 2 Battalion Leicestershire Regiment 10-12 March 1915 Neuve Chapelle, France
Burton, Richard Henry Private 1 Battalion Duke of Wellington’s West Riding Regiment 8 October 1944 Monte Ceco, Italy
Cain, Robert Henry Temporary Major Royal Northumberland Fusiliers attached South Staffordshire Regiment 19-25 September 1944 Arnhem, Netherlands
Cairns, George Albert Lieutenant Somerset Light Infantry attached South Staffordshire Regiment 13 March 1944 Henu Block, Burma
Carne, James Power Lieutenant Colonel 1 Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment 22-23 April 1951 Imjin River, Korea
Chapman, Edward Thomas Corporal 3 Battalion Monmouthshire Regiment 2 April 1945 Dortmund-Ems Canal, Germany
Charlton, Edward Colquhoun Guardsman 2 Battalion Irish Guards 21 April 1945 Wistedt, Germany
Cheshire, Leonard Geoffrey Wing Commander Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve July 1944
Chowne, Albert Lieutenant 2/2 Battalion New South Wales Australian Military Forces 25 March 1945 Dagua, New Guinea
Cosens, Aubrey Sergeant Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, Canadian Army 25-26 February 1945 Mooshof, Holland
Crowe, Joseph Petrus Hendrik Lieutenant 78th Regiment 12 August 1857 Busherutgunge
Currie, David Vivian Major South Alberta Regiment, Canadian Army 18-20 August 1944 Battle of Falaise, Normandy
Curtis, Philip Kenneth Edward Lieutenant Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry attached 1 Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment 22-23 April 1951 Imjin River, Korea
Din, Fazal Acting Naik 10th Baluch Regiment 2 March 1945 Meiktila, Burma
Donnini, Dennis Fusilier 4/5 Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers 18 January 1945 Between Roer and Maas Rivers, Holland
Durrant, Thomas Frank Sergeant Corps of Royal Engineers attached No.1 Commando 27 March 1942 St Nazaire, France
Eardley, George Harold Acting Sergeant 4 Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry 16 October 1944 Overloon, Netherlands
Foote, John Weir Captain Royal Hamilton Light Infantry 19 August 1942 Dieppe, France
Fraser, Ian Edward Lieutenant Royal Navy 31 July 1945 Straits of Johor, Singapore
Frisby, Cyril Hubert Acting Captain 1 Battalion Coldstream Guards 27 September 1918 Canal du Nord, Graincourt, France
Furness, Christopher Lieutenant 1 Battalion Welsh Guards 17-24 May 1940 Near Arras, France
Ganju Lama Rifleman 1 Battalion 7th Gurkha Rifles 12 June 1944 Ningthoukhong, Burma
Ghadge, Yeshwant Naik 5th Maratha Light Infantry 10 July 1944 Upper Tiber Valley, Italy
Gian Singh Naik 15th Punjab Regiment 2 March 1945 Kamye, Burma
Gort, John Standish Surtees Prendergast Vereker Acting Lieutenant Colonel 1 Battalion Grenadier Guards 27 September 1918 Canal du Nord, Flesquieres,France
Grant, John Gilroy Sergeant 1 Battalion Wellington Regiment New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1 September 1918 Near Bancourt, France
Gray, Robert Hampton Temporary Lieutenant Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve August 1945 Onagawa Wan, Honshu, Japan
Grayburn, John Hollington Lieutenant Parachute Regiment 17-20 September 1944 Arnhem, Holland
Gurung, Thaman Rifleman 1 Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles 10 November 1944 Monte San Bartolo, Italy
Hancock, Thomas Private 9th Lancers 19 June 1857 Delhi
Harden, Henry Eric Lance Corporal Royal Army Medical Corps attached 45 Royal Marine Commando 23 January 1945 Brachterbeek, Holland
Harper, John William Corporal 4 Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment 29 September 1944 Antwerp, Belgium
Havelock, Henry Marsham Lieutenant 10th Regiment 16 July 1857 Cawnpore
Hedges, Frederick William Temporary Lieutenant Bedfordshire Regiment attached 6 Battalion Northamptonshire Regiment 24 October 1918 North East of Bousies, France
Hunter, Thomas Peck Temporary Corporal 43 Commando, Royal Marines 2 April 1945 Lake Comacchio, Italy
Insall, Gilbert Stuart Martin Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps 7 November 1915 Near Achiet, France
Jackson, Norman Cyril Sergeant Royal Air Force 26-27 April 1944 Schweinfurt, Germany
Jackson, Thomas Norman Lance Corporal 1 Battalion Coldstream Guards 27 September 1918 Canal du Nord, Graincourt, France
Jamieson, David Auldjo Captain Royal Norfolk Regiment 7-8 August 1944 Grimbosq, Normandy
Jones, Herbert Lieutenant Colonel 2 Battalion Parachute Regiment 28 May 1982 Darwin, Falkland Islands
Joynt, William Donovan Lieutenant 8 Battalion Australian Imperial Force 23 August 1918 Herleville Wood, Chuignes, Somme, France
Judge, Karamjeet Singh Lieutenant 4 Battalion 15th Punjab Regiment 18 March 1945 Meiktila, Burma
Kenna, Edward Private 2 Battalion New South Wales Australian Military Forces 15 May 1945 Wewak, New Guinea
Knowland, George Arthur Lieutenant Royal Norfolk Regiment attached 1 Commando 31 January 1945 Kangaw, Burma
Lachhiman, Gurung Rifleman 8th Gurkha Rifles 12-13 May 1945 Taungdaw, Burma
Lassen, Anders Frederik Emil Victor Schau Temporary Major General List attached Special Boat Service No.1 SAS Regiment 8 April 1945 Lake Comacchio, Italy
Leakey, Nigel Gray Sergeant 1/6 Battalion King’s African Rifles 19 May 1941 Colito, Abyssinia
Liddell, Ian Oswald Temporary Captain 5 Battalion Coldstream Guards 3 April 1945 Lingen, Germany
Limbu, Rambahadur Lance Corporal 2 Battalion 10th Princess Mary’s Own Gurkha Rifles 21 November 1965 Sarawak, Borneo
Lord, David Samuel Anthony Flight Lieutenant 271 Squadron, Royal Air Force 19 September 1944 Arnhem, Holland
MacKey, John Bernard Corporal 2/3rd Pioneer Battalion, Australian Military Forces 12 May 1945 Tarakan Island, North Borneo
Magennis, James Joseph Acting Leading Seaman Royal Navy 31 July 1945 Straits of Johor, Singapore
McKay, Ian John Platoon Sergeant 4 Platoon B Company, 3 Battalion Parachute Regiment 12 June 1982 Mount Longdon, Falkland Islands
Muir, Kenneth Major 1 Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders 23 September 1950 Songju, Korea
Mynarski, Andrew Charles Warrant Officer 11 419 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force 12 June 1944 Over Cambrai, France
Namdeo Jadav Sepoy 5th Maratha Light Infantry, Indian Army 9 April 1945 Senio River, Italy
Nasmith, Martin Eric Lieutenant Commander Royal Navy 20 May – 8 June 1915 Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles, Turkey
Negi, Gobar Singh Rifleman 2/39th Garhwal Rifles, Indian Army 10 March 1915 Neuve Chapelle, France
Newman, Augustus Charles Lieutenant Colonel Essex Regiment 27 March 1942 St Nazaire, France
Norton, Gerard Ross Lieutenant Kaffrarian Rifles, South African Forces attached 1 Battalion Hampshire Regiment 31 August 1944 Montegridolfo, Italy
Osborn, John Robert Company Sergeant Major 1 Battalion Winnipeg Grenadiers, Canadian Army 19 December 1941 Hong Kong
Palmer, Robert Anthony Maurice Squadron Leader 109 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 23 December 1944 Over Cologne, Germany
Partridge, Frank John Private 8 Battalion Victoria Australian Military Forces 24 July 1945 Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Payne, Keith Warrant Officer 11 Australian Army Training Team, Australian Forces 24 May 1969 Ben Het, Kontum Province, Vietnam
Purcell, John Private 9th Lancers 19 June 1857 Delhi
Queripel, Lionel Ernest Captain Royal Sussex Regiment attached 10th Parachute Battalion 19 September 1944 Arnhem, Holland
Randle, John Neil Temporary Captain 2 Battalion Royal Norfolk Regiment 4 May 1944 Battle of Kohima, North East India
Rattey, Reginald Roy Corporal 25 Battalion Australian Military Forces 22 March 1945 Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Raymond, Claude Lieutenant Corps of Royal Engineers 21 March 1945 Talaku, Burma
Ritchie, Henry Peel Commander Royal Navy 28 November 1914 Dar-es-Salaam, Tanganyika
Rivers, Jacob Private 1 Battalion Sherwood Foresters 12 March 1915 Neuve Chapelle, France
Roope, Gerard Broadmead Lieutenant Commander Royal Navy 8 April 1940 West Ford, Norway
Salmon, Nowell Lieutenant Royal Navy 16 November 1857 Lucknow
Scarf, Arthur Stewart King Squadron Leader 62 Squadron, Royal Air Force 9 December 1941 Malaya
Shah, Sher Lance Naik 16th Punjab Regiment 19-20 January 1945 Kyeyebyin, Burma
Simpson, Rayene Stewart Warrant Officer 11 Australian Army Training Team, Australian Forces 6 May 1969 Kontum Provence, Vietnam
Singh, Badlu Ressaidar 14th Lancers attached 29th Lancers, Deccan Horse, Indian Army 23 September 1918 River Jordan, Palestine
Singh, Prakash or Parkash Jemadar 13th Frontier Force Rifles 16-17 February 1945 Kanlan Ywathit, Burma
Singh, Ram Sarup Acting Subidar 2 Battalion 1st Punjab Regiment 25 October 1944 Kennedy Peak, Tiddim, Burma
Smith, Ernest Alvia Private Seaforth Highlanders 21-22 October 1944 River Savio, North Italy
Speakman, William Private Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) attached 1 Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers 1951 United Hill, Korea
Starcevich, Leslie Thomas Private 2 Battalion South Australia Australian Army 25 May 1945 Beaufort, North Borneo
Stokes, James Private 2 Battalion King’s Shropshire Light Infantry 1 March 1945 Kervenheim, Rhineland
Sukanaivalu, Sefanaia Corporal Fijian Infantry Regiment 23 June 1944 Bougainville, Solomon Islands
Swales, Edwin Captain RAF Pathfinder Force, 582 Squadron 23 February 1945 Pforzheim, Germany
Thapa, Netrabahadur Acting Subidar 2 Battalion 5th Royal Gurkha Rifles 25-26 June 1944 Bishenpur, Burma
Thapa, Sher Bahadur Rifleman 9th Gurkha Rifles 18-19 September 1944 San Marino, Italy
Thompson, George Flight Sergeant 9 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 1 January 1945 Over Dortmund-Ems Canal, Germany
Tilston, Frederick Albert Acting Major Essex Scottish Regiment, Canadian Army 1 March 1945 Hochwald Forest, Germany
Topham, Frederick George Corporal 1 Canadian Parachute Battalion, Canadian Army 24 March 1945 Rhine, Germany
Trent, Leonard Henry Squadron Leader Royal New Zealand Air Force 3 May 1943 Amsterdam, Netherlands
Tulbahadur Pun Rifleman 3 Battalion 6th Gurkha Rifles, Indian Army 23 June 1944 Mogaung, Burma
Umrao Singh Havildar 33 Mountain Battery, Royal Indian Artillery 15 December 1944 Kaladan Valley, Burma
Upham, Charles Hazlitt (bar) Second Lieutenant New Zealand Military Forces 14-15 July 1942 Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt
Warneford, Reginald Alexander John Flight Sub-Lieutenant Royal Navy 1 Squadron Royal Naval Air Service 7 June 1915 Over Ghent, Belgium
Watkins, Tasker Lieutenant 1/5 Battalion Welsh Regiment 16 August 1944 Barfour, Normandy
Weston, William Basil Lieutenant Green Howards 3 March 1945 Meiktila, Burma
Wheatley, Kevin Arthur Warrant Officer 11 Australian Army Training Team, Australian Forces 13 November 1965 Tra Bong, Vietnam
Wilcox, Alfred Lance Corporal 2/4 Battalion Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry 12 September 1918 North East of Laventie, France
Wilkinson, Thomas Temporary Lieutenant Royal Naval Reserve 14 February 1942 Java Sea, off Malaya
Wood, Wilfred Private 10 Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers 28 October 1918 Casa Vana, Italy
Wright, Peter Harold Company Sergeant Major 3 Battalion Coldstream Guards 25 September 1943 Salerno, Italy