Webspace dedicated to Princess Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan,
heroine of
the French Resistance in 1943. Posthumous recipient of the George
Cross and Croix de Guerre (with gold star)
If at this moment King George could not guarantee to his subjects a better future, he could at
least formally recognize their gallantry in the present, but he was exercised in his mind as to what
form this recognition should take. There existed many decorations and medals instituted by his
predecessors for the reward of gallantry and meritorious conduct, but these, by their terms of
reference, were restricted in the main to members of the armed forces and only one of them, the
Victoria Cross, was open to award of all ranks.
It was to meet this evident need that the
King created the George Cross and Medal. It was the fruit of long deliberation and much careful
study, both as to reference and design. The study of decorations was among King George's
hobbies, and his collection of medals and ribbons at Windsor was among the most complete in
the world. The planning of the George Cross and Medal was therefore of particular pleasure and
interest to him, and the final design was almost entirely his own work, for he had sketched out an
original device and had studied and amended with meticulous care the subsequent drafts
presented to him.
The decoration consists of a plain silver cross, with the Royal cipher "G.VI" in
the angle of each limb. In the centre is a circular medallion showing St. George and the Dragon,
and surrounded by an inscription, "For Gallantry". The reverse is plain and bears the name of the
recipient and the date of the award. The cross, which is worn before all other decorations except
the Victoria Cross, is suspended from a dark blue ribbon threaded through a bar adorned with
laurel leaves.
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The King announced the creation of the George Cross in a broadcast to Britain and the Empire
on September 23. He reminded them that they now stood in the front line, "to champion those
liberties and traditions that are our heritage".
~~~~~~GVI~~~~~~
"Winter lies before us, cold and dark....But
after winter comes spring, and after our present trials will assuredly come victory and a release
from these evil things. Let us then put our trust, as I do, in God, and in the unconquerable spirit
of the British peoples".
Here is a MP3 file recording of King-Emperor George VI BBC broadcast on VJ Day, the end of World War II (Windows Media Player) ____
King George VI August 15, 1945 broadcast_____
See King George VI and Queen Elizabeth's 1939 Visit to Canada
on the Video below:
For further information about the
GEORGE CROSS Please write or call:
Victoria Cross & George Cross Association
Contact: Room 04, Archway Block South, Old Admiralty Building, Whitehall, London SW1,
Tel 0171 930 3506
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