List of artillery recipients of the Victoria Cross
# List of artillery recipients of the Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration that may be bestowed upon members of the British or Commonwealth armed forces for acts of valour or gallantry performed in the face of the enemy. Within the British honours system and those of many Commonwealth nations it is the highest award a soldier can receive for actions in combat. It was established in 1856 and since then has been awarded 1,356 times; three service personnel have received the award twice.

The VC was introduced on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria to reward acts of valour during the Crimean War. The traditional explanation of the source of the gunmetal from which the medals are struck is that it derives from Russian cannon captured at the siege of Sevastopol. Recent research has thrown doubt on this story, suggesting a variety of origins. The original Royal Warrant did not contain a specific clause regarding posthumous awards, although official policy was to not award the VC posthumously. Between 1897 and 1901, several notices were issued in the London Gazette regarding soldiers who would have been awarded the VC had they survived. In a partial reversal of policy in 1902, six of the soldiers mentioned were granted the VC, but not "officially" awarded the medal. In 1907, the posthumous policy was completely reversed and medals were sent to the next of kin of the six officers and men. The Victoria Cross warrant was not officially amended to explicitly allow posthumous awards until 1920 but one quarter of all awards for the First World War were posthumous.

Due to its rarity, the VC is highly prized and the medal has fetched over £400,000 at auction. A number of public and private collections are devoted to the Victoria Cross. The private collection of Lord Ashcroft, amassed since 1986, contains over one-tenth of all VCs awarded. Following a 2008 donation to the Imperial War Museum, the Ashcroft collection went on public display alongside the museum's Victoria and George Cross collection in November 2010. Since 1990, three Commonwealth countries that retain the Queen as head of state have instituted their own versions of the VC. As a result, the original Victoria Cross is sometimes referred to as the "Commonwealth Victoria Cross" or the "Imperial Victoria Cross", to distinguish it from the newer awards.

The British Royal Regiment of Artillery was formed at Woolwich in 1716. Being present at almost every battle the British Army has been involved in, several of its batteries are now named after Victoria Cross actions. J (Sidi Rezegh) Battery Royal Horse Artillery is one of these units, and is named after the Battle of Sidi Rezegh during which Second Lieutenant George Gunn performed the deeds for which he was later awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

Since its introduction there have been sixty-five awards of the Victoria Cross to artillerymen, awarded for bravery in eight different wars. The first award was during the Crimean War and the last for the Second World War. The recipients include an Indian serving in the Indian Artillery, a member of the Royal Australian Artillery, and sixteen members of the then Bengal or Bombay Armies. The remainder have been from the three branches of the British Royal Artillery: the Royal Horse Artillery, the Royal Field Artillery, and the Royal Garrison Artillery. Two artillerymen received the award for actions performed while they were serving with other formations, one in the First World War with the Royal Flying Corps, and one in the Second World War with the British Commandos.

## Artillery recipients

| Name | Branch | Date | Conflict | Location |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Ernest Alexander | Royal Field Artillery | 24 August 1914 | First World War | Elouges |
| Thomas Arthur | Royal Field Artillery | 7 June 1855 | Crimean War | Sevastopol |
| Frederick Bradley | Royal Field Artillery | 26 September 1901 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Itala |
| Edward Bradbury | Royal Horse Artillery | 1 September 1914 | First World War | Néry |
| Joseph Brennan | Royal Field Artillery | 3 April 1858 | Indian Mutiny | Jhansi |
| Daniel Cambridge | Royal Field Artillery | 8 September 1855 | Crimean War | Sevastopol |
| John Campbell | Royal Horse Artillery | 21–23 November 1941 | Second World War | Sidi Rezegh |
| James Collis | Royal Horse Artillery | 28 July 1880 | Second Anglo-Afghan War | Maiwand |
| William Connolly | Bengal Horse Artillery | 7 July 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Jhelum |
| Roden Cutler | Royal Australian Artillery | 19 June 1941 | Second World War | Merdjayoun |
| Gronow Davis | Royal Field Artillery | 8 September 1855 | Crimean War | Sevastopol |
| Bernard Diamond | Bengal Horse Artillery | 28 September 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Bolandshahr |
| Collingwood Dickson | Royal Field Artillery | 17 October 1854 | Crimean War | Sevastopol |
| Matthew Dixon | Royal Field Artillery | 17 April 1855 | Crimean War | Sevastopol |
| George Dorrell | Royal Horse Artillery | 1 September 1914 | First World War | Néry |
| Eric Dougall | Royal Field Artillery | 10 April 1918 | First World War | Messines |
| Job Drain | Royal Field Artillery | 26 August 1914 | First World War | Le Cateau |
| Richard Fitzgerald | Bengal Horse Artillery | 28 September 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Bolandshahr |
| Horace Glasock | Royal Horse Artillery | 31 March 1900 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Sanna's Post |
| Robert Gorle | Royal Field Artillery | 1 October 1918 | First World War | Ledeghem |
| William Gosling | Royal Field Artillery | 5 April 1917 | First World War | Arras |
| Cyril Gourley | Royal Field Artillery | 30 November 1917 | First World War | Cambrai |
| George Gunn | Royal Horse Artillery | 21 November 1941 | Second World War | Sidi Rezegh |
| Hastings Harrington | Bengal Artillery | 14–22 November 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Andrew Henry | Royal Field Artillery | 5 November 1854 | Crimean War | Inkerman |
| Ernest Horlock | Royal Field Artillery | 15 September 1914 | First World War | Vendresse |
| James Hills-Johnes | Bengal Horse Artillery | 9 July 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Delhi |
| Alfred Ind | Royal Horse Artillery | 20 December 1901 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Tafelkop |
| Edward Jennings | Bengal Artillery | 14–22 November 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Richard Keatinge | Bombay Artillery | 17 March 1858 | Indian Mutiny | Chanderi fort |
| Thomas Laughnan | Bengal Artillery | 14–22 November 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Isaac Lodge | Royal Horse Artillery | 31 March 1900 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Sanna's Post |
| Frederick Luke | Royal Field Artillery | 26 August 1914 | First World War | Le Cateau |
| William Manley | Royal Field Artillery | 29 April 1864 | New Zealand Wars | Tauranga |
| Francis Maude | Royal Field Artillery | 25 September 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Thomas Maufe | Royal Garrison Artillery | 4 June 1917 | First World War | Feuchy |
| Hugh McInnes | Bengal Artillery | 14–22 November 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Frederick Miller | Royal Field Artillery | 5 November 1854 | Crimean War | Inkerman |
| Patrick Mullane | Royal Horse Artillery | 27 July 1880 | Second Anglo-Afghan War | Maiwand |
| David Nelson | Royal Horse Artillery | 1 September 1914 | First World War | Néry |
| George Nurse | Royal Field Artillery | 15 December 1899 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Colenso |
| William Olpherts | Bengal Artillery | 25 September 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| James Park | Bengal Artillery | 14–22 November 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Charles Parker | Royal Horse Artillery | 31 March 1900 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Sanna's Post |
| Edmund Phipps-Hornby | Royal Horse Artillery | 31 March 1900 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Sanna's Post |
| Arthur Pickard | Royal Field Artillery | 20 November 1863 | New Zealand Wars | Rangiriri |
| Patrick Porteous | Royal Artillery | 2 November 1942 | Second World War | Dieppe |
| John Raynes | Royal Field Artillery | 11 October 1915 | First World War | Béthune |
| Hamilton Reed | Royal Field Artillery | 15 December 1899 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Colenso |
| Lionel Rees | Royal Garrison Artillery | 1 July 1916 | First World War | Double Crassieurs |
| George Renny | Bengal Horse Artillery | 16 September 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Delhi |
| Douglas Reynolds | Royal Field Artillery | 26 August 1914 | First World War | Le Cateau |
| Frederick Roberts | Bengal Horse Artillery | 2 January 1858 | Indian Mutiny | Khudaganj |
| Patrick Roddy | Bengal Artillery | 27 September 1858 | Indian Mutiny | Kuthirga |
| Harry Schofield | Royal Field Artillery | 15 December 1899 | Second Anglo-Boer War | Colenso |
| Umrao Singh | Indian Artillery | 15–16 December 1944 | Second World War | Kaladan River |
| Alfred Smith | Royal Field Artillery | 17 January 1885 | Mahdist War | Abu Klea |
| Charles Stone | Royal Field Artillery | 21 March 1918 | First World War | Caponne Farm |
| George Symons | Royal Field Artillery | 6 June 1855 | Crimean War | Inkerman |
| Christopher Teesdale | Royal Field Artillery | 29 September 1855 | Crimean War | Kars |
| William Temple | Royal Field Artillery | 20 November 1863 | New Zealand Wars | Waikato |
| Jacob Thomas | Bengal Artillery | 27 September 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Lucknow |
| Henry Tombs | Bengal Horse Artillery | 9 July 1857 | Indian Mutiny | Delhi |
| Garth Walford | Royal Field Artillery | 26 April 1915 | First World War | Gallipoli |
| Samuel Wallace | Royal Field Artillery | 20 November 1917 | First World War | Gonnelieu |
