First Victoria Cross medals

MANY Irishmen have won the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry  presented to military forces in the United Kingdom.

Almost 200 in conflicts ranging from the Crimean War to World War II. One man, a doctor named William Manley, is absolutely unique in that he was also awarded the Iron Cross by Germany.
Before the Crimean War, the British Army had no actual award system. Officers from the rank of captain or above were rewarded by promotions or awards of the Order of the Bath. Acts of gallantry by ordinary enlisted men and other ranks went unrewarded. Many other European countries, such as France with the Legion of Honour, did not discriminate against class or rank. The reaction to the Crimean War changed all that.
That was the first that war action was reported in newspapers and there was a growing public demand that gallantry by ordinary servicemen should be recognised.  Following from those reports, there were calls in parliament for an award for acts of gallantry irrespective of rank. The government of the day supported the call and in 1856, Queen Victoria instructed that a medal should be awarded and called the Victoria Cross. It was also decided that the decision would be backdated to acts of bravery during the Crimean War. Over 1,300 medals have been awarded to date and, of those, 111 were awarded for acts of gallantry in the Crimean. It was intended that the medals should be made from cannon captures at the Siege of Sebastopol. During the Second World War, the metal was misplaced so now the remaining metal from those guns is kept in a vault by the Logistics Corps of the Army. The same jewellers have been charged with the production of the medal since its inception.
The first Irishman awarded the Victoria Cross was Charles Lucas, a native of County Armagh. It is commonly accepted that he was the first ever recipient of the medal. He was the first to win the Victoria Cross but at the presentation ceremony, his was the fourth medal to be presented. The custom of only rewarding officers was not fully dead and since Lucas at the time was merely a lieutenant, he was fourth in line after three commanders.
He had joined the Navy at the age of 13 and by 18, had won the India Medal. At the age of 20 he was mate on the Hecla which was part of a fleet engaging the Russian Baltic fleet. As they were attacking the fortress at Bomarsund, they were within range of the Russian guns and a shell landed on the deck of their ship. The fuse was still lighting and Lucas ran forward and threw the shell overboard. It exploded before it hit the water. His was one of the actions which was widely reported and which led to the demand for recognition. Later Lucas married Frances Hall, daughter of the captain of the Hecla. He went on to command a number of ships and retired with the rank of Rear Admiral.
Charles Davis Lucas performed the first act of gallantry for which the Victoria Cross was awarded and received his medal from Queen Victoria at the first ever presentation ceremony on June 26, 1857, 154 years ago this week.