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The George Cross ('''GC''') is the highest Civil Decoration of the Commonwealth Of Nations .Although certain Commonwealth Realm s have now instituted their own indigenous honours systems, replacing the GC and other Commonwealth awards so far as their citizens are concerned. The GC is the civilian counterpart of the Victoria Cross and the highest gallantry award for civilians as well as for military personnel in actions which are not in the face of the enemy or for which purely military honours would not normally be granted.Mackay, J. (Author), Mussell, P. (Author), Mussell, J.W. (Editor), (2005), ''The Medal Yearbook 2006'', (Token Publishing Ltd: Devon) CREATION The GC was instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI .British Gallantry Medals, p. 138 At this time, during the height of The Blitz , there was a strong desire to reward the many acts of civilian courage. The existing awards open to civilians were not judged suitable to meet the new situation, therefore it was decided that the George Cross and the George Medal would be instituted to recognise both civilian gallantry in the face of enemy action and brave deeds more generally. Announcing the new award, the King said: ''"In order that they should be worthily and promptly recognised, I have decided to create, at once, a new mark of honour for men and women in all walks of civilian life. I propose to give my name to this new distinction, which will consist of the George Cross, which will rank next to the Victoria Cross, and the 2007 . The Warrant for the GC (along with that of the GM), dated 24 January 1941 , was published in the '' London Gazette '' on 31 January 1941 . The GC was intended to replace the 2007 . AWARD The medal, which may be awarded posthumously, is granted in recognition of "''acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger''."London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Fifth clause The medal is primarily a civilian award; however the George Cross may be awarded to military personnel for gallant conduct which is not in the face of the enemy.Which could not therefore be recognised by a military decoration, given that they typically require gallantry in the face of the enemy. As the Warrant states: The Cross is intended primarily for civilians and award in Our military services is to be confined to actions for which purely military Honours are not normally granted. headstones.]] Bars are awarded to the GC in recognition of the performance of further acts of bravery meriting the award, although none have yet been awarded. Recipients are entitled to the postnominal letters GC.London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Eighth clause In common with the Victoria Cross, a distinction peculiar to these two premier awards for bravery, in undress uniform or on occasions when the medal ribbon alone is worn, a miniature replica of the cross is affixed to the centre of the ribbon.One miniature replica signifying a single award. In the event of a second award of the GC (the award of a Bar ), a second replica would be worn on the ribbon, and so on for further awards. London Gazette, 31 January 1941 - Warrant, Seventh clause The details of all awards are published in the London Gazette with the exception of the two collective bestowals. RECIPIENTS ''See also: List Of George Cross Recipients '' Since its inception in 1940, the GC has been awarded posthumously to 85 recipients and to 71 living people (excluding the two Collective Awards to Malta and the Royal Ulster Constabulary ). Recent recipients The most recent recipient of the George Cross is Corporal 2006 . Prior to that, the two most recent military recipients of the George Cross were Captain Peter Norton , an Ammunition Technical Officer of the Royal Logistic Corps , for gallantry when, on 24 July 2005 , he led a Bomb Disposal team at the site of an IED attack on a US military patrol in Iraq. During the incident he sustained serious injuries; and Trooper Christopher Finney of the Blues And Royals , had previously been awarded the George Cross on 31 October 2003 for gallantry during a friendly fire incident in the 2003 Invasion Of Iraq . Finney is also the youngest military recipient of the decoration. The most recent civilian recipient was Sergeant Stewart Guthrie of the New Zealand Police , who received his award posthumously for apprehending a gunman in the Aramoana Massacre in New Zealand .'' London Gazette '', 15 February 1992 . Female awards In its history, the GC has been awarded directly to only four women, Odette Sansom , Violette Szabo , and Noor Inayat Khan (all members of FANY , who were awarded the George Cross for actions carried out while serving as agents in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II ), and Barbara Jane Harrison , an Air Stewardess, on a BOAC flight at Heathrow Airport, who died on 8 April 1968 after helping many passengers escape from an onboard fire. Collective awards proudly displays its George Cross]] The George Cross has, on the express instruction of the Sovereign, been awarded twice on a collective basis,Such collective awards have only been bestowed on three occasions—two separate awards of the George Cross to Malta and the RUC and one award of the Conspicuous Gallantry Cross to the Royal Irish Regiment . to the island of Malta and the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Malta See Also: George Cross (Malta) The GC was awarded to the island of Malta in a letter dated 15 April 1942 from King George VI to the island's Governor Lieutenant-General Sir William Dobbie : The Governor answered: The cross and the messages are today found in the War Museum in Fort Saint Elmo , Valletta . The fortitude of the population under sustained enemy air raids and a naval blockade which almost saw them starved into submission, won widespread admiration in Britain and other Allied nations. Some historians argue that the award was in fact a propaganda gesture to justify the huge losses sustained by Britain to prevent Malta from capitulating as Singapore had done in the Battle Of Singapore .1 The George Cross is woven into the Flag Of Malta and can be seen wherever the flag is flown. Royal Ulster Constabulary The GC was awarded to the Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II following the advice of her Government. Buckingham Palace announced, The Queen paid her own personal tribute to the RUC by presenting the George Cross to the organisation in person at Hillsborough Castle , County Down . The citation published in the London Gazette on November 23 1999 states: Within two years (on 4 November 2001 ), the RUC was replaced with the Police Service Of Northern Ireland . Awards by nation There have been 10 crosses awarded to , who awards the Cross Of Valour (Canadian) instead. Australia The last Australian to be awarded the GC, and the most recent surviving civilian recipient, was Constable Michael Pratt of the Victoria Police, Melbourne , for arresting two armed bank robbers. London Gazette '', July 5 , 1978 The Queen Of Australia established the Cross Of Valour (Australian) in 1975 to be awarded by the Australian Crown "only for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril". This is now used instead of the George Cross. A memorial to Australian recipients was opened in the Capital, Canberra , on 4 April 2001 by the Governor General Of Australia , Sir William Deane . George Cross Park is in Blamey Crescent bounded by Moten Street, Campbell . ANNUITY Holders of the George Cross or Victoria Cross are entitled to an Annuity , the amount of which is determined by the awarding government.London Gazette, 15 June 1965 - Warrant, Fourteenth clause Since 2002, the annuity paid by the British government is £ 1,495 per year. As at January 2005, under the ''Canadian Gallantry Awards Order'', members of the Canadian Forces , or people who joined the British forces before 31 March 1949 while domiciled in Canada or Newfoundland, receive $ 3,000 per year. For Australian holders, the amount is determined by clause 11A1.2 of the '' Australian Defence Forces Pay and Conditions'', and as of January 2005 is $ 250 per year. RESTRICTION OF USE As of 1943 in accordance with the George Cross (Restriction Of Use) Ordinance , in Malta it is unlawful to use the George Cross or an imitation of it or the words George Cross, for the purposes of trade or business without the authorisation of the Prime Minister . NOTES BIBILOGRAPHY
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