Vanishing Bravery

The moral imperative to remember sacrifice

The Imperial War Museum in London recently announced its decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery permanently, thereby removing from public display the largest collection of Victoria Crosses in the world.

First awarded in 1856 by Queen Victoria, the Victoria Cross is the highest recognition of bravery in the British Honours system. It commends members of the British Armed Forces and other Commonwealth nations who have shown outstanding courage in the face of the enemy, throwing themselves in harm’s way in order to help others. The emphasis is on self-sacrifice and many VCs are posthumous for this reason. 1,358 have been bestowed and anyone in the military is eligible, irrespective of race, creed, sex, or rank. The Ashcroft collection also includes St George Crosses. The GC is the highest civilian decoration for bravery in peacetime or “in war but away from the intensity of battle”.

The philanthropist, businessman, author, and Former Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party Lord Ashcroft loaned his collection of some 230 VCs and GCs in 2010. The collection, meticulously gathered since 1986 out of “a passion for bravery” and detailed on his website, Lord Ashcroft Medals, is the most impressive of its kind and spans 1857 to 2014. Not only did Lord Ashcroft loan the medals for fifteen years with a view to extend, he paid more than £5 million to create a gallery to house them alongside other memorabilia, as well as VCs and GCs either owned by or loaned to the IWM.