Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-01-27
THE VICTORIA CROSS
FOR HEROES ONLY.
How the Most Coveted Decoration in England is Won
and How 1t is Bestowed.
Observation-Disclosures Observation-Disclosures ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I himself TO the enemy to save a conrad
although the Zulus We're not a hundre
| yards away
Sir George White so long bottle
| up' In Ladysmiih. won the Vlctorl
Cross under Lord Roberts IN Afghanli
tan, by charging a fortified Hill aud tai
ing It, backed by only a few men. A
this time he was only a major In the "a
nous Gordon Hlghianders They I'D
Nanced under racking FIRE and O
reaching the top Of the slope foun
themselves outnumbcred ten 10 ON
Quick as wink White grabbed a rlH
from one OF his men and shot the AZ
CHAN chief His followers became d.
| morallzed, and the Gordons route
them. Later In the same campaign.
the march 10 Kandahar Roberts name
White a eecond time In his dlspatcht
FOR having rushed on ahead Of his me
and captured a gun. he ended By su,
ceedlng his superior officer In becomin
commander-ln-chief In India.
asked the officer In charge OF IN
medal branch OF the war Office how
Victoria Cross was obtained after
had been won.
Why there isn't as much red tap
about 1t as you would fancy" he san
The action as reward for which IN
cross Is given must be performed 4
the presence Of the enemy and 1t
desirable that the superior officer OF tn
man who distinguishes himself Shout
have witnessed II. II happens soma
times, however, that no officer is pres
emit and IN a case like that the candi
date must prove by his companion
that he really did do what he assert
that he did. When his immediate 50
perlor Is satisfied that he ought 10 b
rewarded he writes an account OF tn
business and hands Il 10 the officer 4
command OF the forces and he indOrse
the papers and sends them on 10 IN
war office. Here they are laid befor
Lord Wolseley the commander in-chie
who passes upon them and decides
which applicants the cross shall
given.
"of course. the cross goes most ofte
to soldier, sailor or marine and whe
Il happens that the fortunate man |
in England he receives his medal frof
the hand Of the queen herself. II h
is in the field, however, or on ship
board. he receives his decoration fror
the general or admiral In chief com
mand on the seml-annual inspection
day and In the presence OF the mel
who were al the scene OF his exploit
Then men who have done Draw
things do apply personality"
Certainly they do. That is in keep
ing with the spirit OF the warrant whicl
the queen first issued. In 1856 and whicl
says that her majesty desires that tn
new decoration should be highly price
and eagerly sought after. In tina
warrant she ssid that as the third
class Order Of the Bath was limited Il
the officers in the higher branches
the service, and as no way then ex
isted<o reward heroes adequately 70
mefitorious actions-for army medah
Of the ordinary kind are given onl,
for long service and exceptional con
duct-the Victoria Cross was instituted
Sometimes II has happened that sew.
eral men have done a deed deserving
Of the cross, without any one OF then
havi distinguished himself above hi
comrades In that case the several OF
ficers meet and select one officer 10 bt
decorated; the non-commissioned off
Ger to be decorated, and the soldiers
marines or seamen also gather and ap.
point two Of their number TO receive thu
crosses.
Besides the ceremony OF presentation
In the presence OF his comrades" n,
went on, "the Victoria Cross man ha.
his name mentioned in a general order
from the war office, with The partlcu.
lars OF his heroism. and his name also
appears in the London Gazette, like.
wise with an account Of what he did
and the original papers are kept sa.
credly in the archives OF the war Of.
flee forever afterward. That register
is probably the most democratic roll in
Great Britain. for upon Il the names OF
mobiles and highly placed officers pre-.
Lc.rtln....l IN M ~. 10