Don't panic here - as this is a bit of a 'trick' statement .. There are 24 other New Zealanders who were awarded the original Victoria Cross - thirteen of these were from World War I .
- Both Australia (1991) and Canada (1993) have previously introduced their own V.C. replacing the British Honors System.
On 21 September 1999, Prime Minister Jenny Shipley announced that the Queen had approved the formal institution of a new range of Royal awards to recognise acts of gallantry and bravery performed by New Zealanders. The awards were designed to be the final major element in the development of a distinct New Zealand Royal honours system.
“ | I am confident that the new system will serve us well and enable New Zealand to recognise the various acts of heroism performed in our community. The redevelopment of the awards for gallantry and bravery now means that we have a full range of awards and honours which are distinctly New Zealand. | ” |
— Jenny Shipley, Prime Minister of New Zealand,
The New Zealand and Australian awards are still made by the jewellers Hancocks of the Burlington Arcade, London - from the gunmetal used for the originals. - The Canadian Victoria Cross also includes metal from the same cannon, along with copper and other metals from all regions of Canada.
Charles Uphams Victoria Cross.
Marty K.
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