For Valour: Recipients of the Victoria Cross 1914-18

Nice small display at the National Portrait Gallery looking at some of the Victoria Cross holders from the First World War.
 
The Victoria Cross is the highest military honour and was awarded 628 times in the First World War. Patriotic interest in those who had been awarded them was fuelled by postcards and cigarette cards. Only three people have been awarded two VCs and two were non-combatant doctors, Arthur Martin Leake who died in 1953 and Noel Godfrey Chavasse who was killed in action.

It was poignant to realise that a lot of the pictures were the lovely hopeful studio pictures taken of soldiers before they went to war.


Two characters caught my eye. Albert Ball, the first pilot to become a popular hero, and he is shown in a flash car in a postcard which was shown with the model of his statue in Nottingham. I also liked Sir Adrian Carter who served in the Boer War and the First and Second World Wars, losing an eye and a hand. Again it was nice that as well as photograph there was a portrait of him by Orpen hanging nearby.

Closed 24 June 2018


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