Cross Of Valour (Canada)
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The Cross of Valour () is a decoration that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the second-highest award (surpassed only by the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
), the highest honour available for
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
civilians, and the highest of the three Canadian Bravery Decorations. Created in 1972, it is presented to individuals, both Canadian and foreign, living and deceased, who have performed acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril. Recipients are allowed to use the
post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters, or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, an academic degree, accreditation ...
''CV''.


History

The Cross of Valour was conceived of as a replacement for the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
's
Medal of Courage The Medal of Courage (, ''Itur HaOz'') is an Israeli military decoration. The medal is awarded for carrying out acts of gallantry at the risk of life, during combat duty. The medal was established in 1970 (though it has been given retroactively) ...
, which had never been awarded since its creation in 1967. On the advice of her Cabinet headed by
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...
, the Cross of Valour was initiated on 1 May 1972 by Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, and presented for the first time on 20 July of the same year. Prior to 1967, the equivalent medal that Canadians received was the
George Cross The George Cross (GC) is the highest award bestowed by the British government for non-operational Courage, gallantry or gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. In the British honours system, the George Cross, since its introduction in 1940, ...
, of which ten were awarded in Canada: eight military, one merchant navy, and one civilian. The Cross of Valour became the centre of a controversy in 2007, when it was announced from the Chancellery of Honours at the
Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...
's residence,
Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence of the governor general of Canada, the representative of the monarch of Canada. Located in Ottawa, the Capital city, capital of the country, on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, th ...
, that deceased
Cobourg, Ontario Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County, Ontario, Northumberla ...
, police constable Chris Garrett would not be awarded the honour. Garett died on duty after an individual lured him with a false
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call and then cut his throat; however, Garett, as he was dying, shot and disabled the assailant, thereby preventing other planned attacks. But, because Garett's nominator waited until the trial for the constable's murderer was concluded, the application arrived at Rideau Hall eight months past the stipulated two-year deadline. After a public outcry, the Governor General-in-Council adjusted the rules of application for the Cross of Valour. Garrett was granted the Star of Courage.


Design

The medal is a cross of four equal limbs rendered in gold, with the obverse enameled in red and edged with gold, and bearing at the centre a gold maple leaf surrounded by a gold
laurel wreath A laurel wreath is a symbol of triumph, a wreath (attire), wreath made of connected branches and leaves of the bay laurel (), an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. It was also later made from spineless butcher's broom (''Ruscus hypoglossum'') or cher ...
. On the reverse is the
Royal Cypher In modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram or monogram-like device of a country's reigning Monarch, sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a Crown (heral ...
of the reigning Canadian sovereign and a crown above, on the upper arm, while the words ''VALOUR • VAILLANCE'' are etched below, extending along the upper edge of the two lateral arms of the cross. The recipient's name and the date of the incident for which they are being honoured are engraved underneath the motto. This medallion is worn by men, suspended from a red ribbon around the neck; and by women, below the left shoulder suspended from a red ribbon fashioned into a bow; a miniature cross may be worn on the ribbon bar in undress. Individuals who are awarded the Cross of Valour as second or subsequent time are granted a gold maple leaf to be carried on the same ring from which the original cross is hung; no bars have been issued to date.


Eligibility

Anyone may nominate or be nominated for receipt of the Cross of Valour; the incident need not take place in Canada, but Canadian people and/or interests must be involved. The decoration may be awarded posthumously, though nominations must be made no later than two years following either the act of bravery itself or the conclusion of any coroner's or court's inquest into the events for which the person was nominated.


Recipients

#
Vaino Olavi Partanen Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Vaino Olavi Partanen CV (27 May 1928 – 23 October 1969) was a member of the Canadian Forces and a recipient of the Cross of Valour for his actions during an engine room explosion aboard HMCS ''Kootenay'' on 23 O ...
, posthumously awarded 20 July 1972 # Lewis John Stringer , posthumously awarded 20 July 1972 # Mary Dohey , awarded 1 December 1975 # Kenneth Wilfrid Bishop , awarded 5 April 1976 # Jean Swedberg , posthumously awarded 17 May 1976 # Thomas Hynes , posthumously awarded 11 September 1978 # François Emeric Gaston Langelier , awarded 2 April 1979 # Amédéo Garrammone , awarded 28 January 1980 # Lester Robert Fudge , awarded 6 April 1981 # Harold Gilbert Miller , awarded 6 April 1981 # Martin Sceviour , awarded 6 April 1981 # Anna Ruth Lang , awarded 7 June 1982 # Robert Gordon Teather , awarded 25 April 1983 # René Marc Jalbert , awarded 16 July 1984 , awarded 13 June 1988 # David Gordon Cheverie , awarded 13 June 1988 # John Wendell MacLean , posthumously awarded 30 October 1992 # Douglas Fader , awarded 16 June 1994 #
Keith Paul Mitchell Sergeant Keith Paul Mitchell (now Chief Warrant Officer), CV, MMM, MSM, CD, a Search and Rescue technician with 413 Search and Rescue Squadron in the Canadian Forces, received the Cross of Valour, the highest Canadian award for acts of courage ...
, awarded 11 February 1998 # Bryan Keith Pierce , awarded 11 February 1998 # Leslie Arthur Palmer , awarded 4 May 2006. He represented recipients at the 2023 Coronation.


See also

*
Canadian order of precedence (decorations and medals) The order of wear for decorations and medals of Canada is published by the Governor General of Canada. Awards of valour National orders Provincial orders Territorial orders National decorations National decorations not included in or ...
*
State decoration A state decoration is an object, such as a medal or the insignia of an Order (distinction), order, that is awarded by a sovereign state to honor the recipient. The term includes civil awards and decorations, as well as military awards and decorat ...


References


Further reading

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External links

* * * * } {{Canadian Honours System * 1972 establishments in Canada Awards established in 1972 Civil awards and decorations of Canada Courage awards