Resources required

• Resource A: Background information on the Victoria Cross and photograph
• Resource B: Major Cain’s Victoria Cross citation and photograph
• Resource C: ‘One TV star’s tribute to the real heroes’
• Resource D: Lance Sergeant Baskeyfield’s Victoria Cross citation
• Resource E: Lieutenant John Grayburn’s Victoria Cross citation
• Resource F: Flight Lieutenant David Lord’s Victoria Cross citation
• Resource G: Captain Lionel Queripel’s Victoria Cross citation
• Resource H: Victoria Cross activity record sheet
• Resource I: Quotes about the Victoria Cross and courage/summary sheet

Rationale and learning intentions

By examining the actions that won medals such as the Victoria Cross, the teacher can set the experience of war not only into the context of the individual winner but also of the times and conflicts before and since. For example, this lesson can fit into work carried out elsewhere on Canada and the Second World War or the Holocaust. Furthermore, the theme of courage under fire is a universal one that can be analysed regardless of race, gender or creed. It offers an opportunity to look at war from an intensely personal perspective and from a viewpoint that remembers the men who fought rather than the men who issued orders.

Aims and objectives:

• To introduce pupils to the highest gallantry medal available to British Armed Service personnel
• To examine the concept of ‘Courage Under Fire’
• To enable students to offer explanations as to how and why the Victoria Cross medal is awarded
• To enable students to illustrate courage under fire using examples from different types of warfare

 
Starter – the purpose of this is to stimulate student interest and discussion.

What is the link between the popular BBC TV programme ‘Top Gear’ and Private Johnson Beharry? 

Context: This enquiry would benefit from using a photograph of Jeremy Clarkson and two of Private Johnson Beharry, (the latest recipient of the Victoria Cross) in uniform with and without his medal.

Students should consider photographs of both Jeremy Clarkson and Private Beharry. At this juncture, students should look at the photograph of Private Beharry without his Victoria Cross. Understandably, there will be no obvious connection between a motoring magazine TV show and soldier in the British Army. The next clue for students should be the photograph of Private Beharry with his Victoria Cross and Resource D. The link should then become apparent.

Before commencing the next part of this activity, students should look at Resource A to gain some background knowledge on the Victoria Cross.

Using Resource B, ask students to discuss what constitutes bravery and courage. Any definition arrived at could be used later for comparison.

(AV suggestion: Students could watch Jeremy Clarkson’s BBC television documentary about the Victoria Cross, entitled ‘The Victoria Cross: For Valour’ to support this starter activity)

What does it take to win a Victoria Cross?

Using Resources D, E, F and G ask students in groups to examine the details of the four Victoria Crosses awarded for acts of bravery during Operation Market Garden.
Each group must:

• Identify in their own words what action took place
• Identify the factors that make the action stand out as exceptional
• Decide which factors made each case deserving of a Victoria Cross
• Report back to the rest of the class by filling in the Activity Record Sheet, available as Resource H, which should be enlarged onto an A3 sheet so that ideas can be collated and analysed

Context: There are, of course different types of courage and the purpose of this exercise is to consider it in a number of its guises. The depth to which teachers pursue this will naturally be determined by the age and experience of the class as well as the time available.

A class discussion can then be held to draw together ideas and to answer the following questions:

(Students should use Resource I to help answer the questions)

• What factors do the Victoria Cross stories have in common?
• What does it take to win a Victoria Cross? Students can use the summary sheet available in Resource I to make notes
• Why should the Victoria Cross be studied at all?
• To further discussions, chapters 2 and 14 of Sir Peter de la Billiere’s book ‘Supreme Courage’ which suggests the characteristics of courage could be used as a basis of comparison for the student’s ideas.

 
Activity Extension 

Using a library, the internet or resources provided by the teacher, students could conduct further research into other Victoria Cross winners across different conflicts and periods of time. The teacher may wish to use the following books:

• ‘Symbol of Courage’ by Max Arthur details every winner in chronological order.
• Bryan Perrett’s ‘For Valour’ documents selected battles and contains shorter accounts more suitable for students with weak literacy.
• General de la Billiere’s ‘Supreme Courage’ selects 12 accounts designed to reflect the range of winners across the VC’s 150 or so year history. He also refers to a number of other recipients throughout. There is a post-script detailing Private Beharry’s award in 2005, a chapter on Canadian VCs or ‘Aces’ and a chapter devoted to Ghurkha and Indian VCs for teachers wishing to teach the experience of gallantry in war from a non-European standpoint.
• Alternatively, this activity could be extended to include research into other medals and awards that reward bravery both in the United Kingdom (e.g. Military Cross, Military Medal, Distinguished Service Order, Distinguished Conduct Medal and the George Cross) and elsewhere (e.g. USA’s Medal of Honor [sic], France’s Legion d’Honneur or Croix de Guerre, the German Iron Cross or ‘Blue Max’ [Pour le Mérite], etc).
• Finally, teachers could include those commemorated for bravery of a different kind during the Holocaust (e.g. The Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem) in their lessons.