Awarded for valour : a history of the Victoria Cross and the evolution of British heroism / Melvin Charles Smith.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smith, Melvin Charles, 1962-

Series:

Studies in military and strategic history

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Victoria Cross.

Courage--Great Britain.

Courage.

Military decorations--Great Britain.

Military decorations.

Great Britain.

Physical Description:

vii, 281 pages ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Summary:

Based on primary source research, Awarded for Valour is the most comprehensive history of the Victoria Cross available, tracing the evolution of the award from its inception in 1856 to the most recent bestowals in the twenty-first century. The study examines the evolution of the concept of heroism as well, analyzing the nature of the acts that won the VC and how the definition of heroism changed along with the nature of warfare.

Contents:

Introduction: The Forgotten Hero 1

1 'I've broken my arm, Dick, but never mind me now': The Hero in Victorian Popular Mythology 5

2 The Institutionalization of Heroism in Britain 26

3 Teething Problems, 1856-1867 43

4 Big Implications from Small Wars: The Imperial Vision of Heroism, 1860-1911 74

5 Fifty Years On: A Half-Century of Heroism 94

6 1914: The Last Stand of the Thin Red Line 110

7 The Middle Parts of Fortune: Heroism in Evolution, 1915-1916 132

8 'Courage isn't what it used to be': Herosim Emerges from the Great War, 1917-1918 152

9 The Hero Comes Home from the War: The Institutionalization of Modern Heroism 165

10 Conclusion: The New Hero in Action, 1940-2006 185

Appendix The Victoria Cross Warrants 207.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 230-275) and index.

ISBN:

9780230547056

0230547052

OCLC:

225088231

Online:

Publisher description