The George Cross is the highest civil decoration

Civil decoration

A civil decoration is a decoration awarded to civilians for distinguished service. Military personnel might also be eligible for services of a non-military nature...

 of the Commonwealth Realms, although several countries 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

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

 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.

Living recipients of the George Cross

George Cross

The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...

Name	Year of award	Unit
Bertram Stuart Trevelyan Archer Bertram Stuart Trevelyan Archer Colonel Bertram Stuart Trevelyan Archer GC OBE ERD is the oldest living recipient of the George Cross, the highest British medal for gallantry not in the face of the enemy.-Award of George Cross:...	1941	Royal Engineers Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
John Sedgwick Gregson http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/GregsonJS.htm	1943	Merchant Navy Merchant Navy The Merchant Navy is the maritime register of the United Kingdom, and describes the seagoing commercial interests of UK-registered ships and their crews. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency...
Henry Flintoff http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/FlintoffHH.htm	1944	Schoolboy
Ernest Alfred Wooding http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/WoodingEA.htm	1945	Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve .-Foundation:...
Arthur Richard Cecil Butson http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/ButsonARC.htm	1948	Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey British Antarctic Survey The British Antarctic Survey is the United Kingdom's national Antarctic operation and has an active role in Antarctic affairs. BAS is part of the Natural Environment Research Council and has over 400 staff. It operates five research stations, two ships and five aircraft in and around Antarctica....
Alfred Raymond Lowe http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/LoweAR.htm	1949	Royal Navy Royal Navy The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Margaret Vaughan http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/VaughanM.htm	1949	Schoolgirl
Awang anak Rawang Awang anak Rawang Awang Anak Rawang GC, an Iban Scout from Sarawak in Borneo, won the George Cross for gallantry as recorded in the London Gazette on 20 November 1951....	1951	Iban Iban people The Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo. In Malaysia, most Ibans are located in Sarawak, a small portion in Sabah and some in west Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting and...  tracker Tracking (hunting) Tracking in hunting and ecology is the science and art of observing animal tracks and other signs, with the goal of gaining understanding of the landscape and the animal being tracked...
John Bamford John Bamford John Bamford GC John Bamford GC John Bamford GC (born 7 March 1937 in Newthorpe, near Eastwood, Nottinghamshire is the youngest person to have been directly awarded the George Cross. On 19 October 1952, aged 15, he rescued two boys from a house fire in Newthorpe. He took four months to recover...	1952	Colliery worker Coal mining The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
Derek Godfrey Kinne Derek Godfrey Kinne Fusilier Derek Godfrey Kinne was awarded the George Cross for the valour he showed in withstanding torture at the hands of the Chinese Communist forces during the Korean War....	1954	Royal Northumberland Fusiliers Royal Northumberland Fusiliers The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army. Originally raised in 1674, the regiment was amalgamated with three other fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.-Origins:...
Henry William Stevens Henry William Stevens Henry William Stevens GC was awarded the George Cross for the gallantry he showed while serving as a Constable in the Metropolitan Police Force on the 29th of March, 1958. While on patrol with his partner he chased a burglar and was shot by the criminal in the mouth. Despite his injury he...	1958	Metropolitan Police Metropolitan police Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
Anthony John Gledhill Anthony John Gledhill Anthony John Gledhill GC won the George Cross for the heroism he displayed on the 25th of August 1966 in chasing and subduing armed criminals.-George Cross:...	1967	Metropolitan Police Metropolitan police Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
Carl Walker Carl Walker Inspector Carl Walker, GC, is a former police officer who served in the Lancashire Constabulary until 1982 when he was forced to retire due to injuries sustained in a shooting in Blackpool, an incident after which he was awarded the George Cross.On 23 August 1971, when Walker was a constable, he...  http://www.gc-database.co.uk/recipients/WalkerC.htm	1972	Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
James Wallace Beaton	1974	Metropolitan Police Metropolitan police Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
Michael Kenneth Pratt Michael Kenneth Pratt Michael Kenneth Pratt GC is a former constable of the Victoria Police Force of Melbourne, Australia, and a recipient of the George Cross, gazetted on 4 July 1978...	1978	Victoria Police Victoria Police Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
Barry Johnson	1990	Royal Army Ordnance Corps Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps was a corps of the British Army. It dealt only with the supply and maintenance of weaponry, munitions and other military equipment until 1965, when it took over most other supply functions, as well as the provision of staff clerks, from the Royal Army Service...
Christopher Finney Christopher Finney Lance-Corporal of Horse Christopher Finney GC is a British soldier of the Blues and Royals awarded the George Cross for bravery under friendly fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Finney grew up in Marple, near Stockport, before moving to Dorset and then joining the British Army in September 2000...	2003	Household Cavalry Household Cavalry The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
Peter Allen Norton	2006	Royal Logistic Corps Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
Matthew Croucher Matthew Croucher Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher GC is a member of the Royal Marines Reserve and recipient of the George Cross, the highest British medal for gallantry not in the face of the enemy, for his extreme valour in risking his life to safeguard the lives of his comrades...	2008	40 Commando 40 Commando 40 Commando RM is a battalion sized formation of the British Royal Marines and subordinate unit within 3 Commando Brigade, the principal Commando formation, under the Operational Command of Commander in Chief Fleet.... , Royal Marines Reserve Royal Marines Reserve The role of the Royal Marines Reserve of the United Kingdom is to support the regular Royal Marines in times of war or national crisis. The RMR consists of some 600-1000 trained ranks distributed among the five RMR Centres within the UK...
Kim Hughes Kim Hughes (GC) Warrant Officer Class 2 Kim Spencer Hughes GC is a British Army bomb disposal expert who was awarded the George Cross as a Staff Sergeant for gallant acts carried out in the Afghanistan conflict. Hughes made safe over 80 improvised explosive devices on his tour of Afghanistan...	2010	Royal Logistic Corps Royal Logistic Corps The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...

External links

• Living recipients of the George Cross on the George Cross Database