The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration for heroism in the United Kingdom and formerly for the British Empire. The GC is awarded to civilians for "acts of the greatest heroism" or to military personnel for heroic acts that are not "in the face of the enemy". King George VI announced the institution of the GC and George Medal in an official radio broadcast on 23 September 1940 to recognise individual acts of bravery performed during the Blitz. Australians received the GC under the Imperial honours system. Australia began to transition to its own honours system from 1975, though the Governor-General of Australia and each of the state governors retained the right to recommend Australians for British honours. The last Australian recommendation for the GC was thus made by the Governor of Victoria in 1978 for Constable Michael Pratt. On 5 October 1992, following more than two years of negotiations with the state governments, Prime Minister Paul Keating announced that Australia would make no further recommendations for Imperial honours. By then, the GC had been replaced by the Cross of Valour as Australia's highest civil decoration for heroism.
Between the first award of the GC to an Australian in 1942 and the final bestowal to Constable Pratt in 1978, 14 Australians were directly awarded the GC. Nine awards were to military personnel and five were to civilians. Eight of the awards were posthumous. At the time of the institution of the GC, all living recipients of the Empire Gallantry Medal (which included two Australians) were deemed holders of the GC. In October 1971, the British Government announced that living recipients of the Albert Medal and Edward Medal would also henceforth be considered recipients of the GC. The decision was due to the decline in the status and significance of the two awards, leading recipients to feel they were not receiving the recognition they were due. Unlike the 1940 Empire Gallantry Medal exchange, when it was mandatory for recipients to exchange insignia, the former Albert Medal and Edward Medal recipients had the option of retaining their insignia. Of the 27 Australian holders of the Albert Medal, six were living at the time and all opted to exchange their insignia. Five of the six received the GC from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1972. None of the eight Australians awarded the Edward Medal were thought to be alive in 1971, and thus no Australian swapped their Edward Medal for the GC. However, subsequent research discovered that miner Frank Duller lived until 1983—twelve years after the first offer to exchange—and his name was added to the GC Register as a recipient in 2017. Including exchange awards, a total of 23 Australians received the GC.
Recipients
Direct awards of the George Cross Name Date of action Organisation Summary of action(s) Notes1945-01-1212 January 1945*New South Wales Police ForceApprehended a suspect while mortally wounded1960-04-2929 April 1960*Metropolitan Tram TrustAttempting to regain control of tram during accident1969-07-01July 1969 – August 1971*District Commissioner, Territory of Papua New GuineaResolving factional conflicts and restoring local government in Papua New Guinea^1943-06-1212 June 1943 – 10 April 1944Royal Australian Naval Volunteer ReserveMine recovery and defusion, Second World War^1945-05-088–19 May 1945Royal Australian Naval Volunteer ReserveMine recovery and defusion, Second World War^1944-08-055 August 1944*Citizen Military ForcesGallantry during Cowra breakout^1944-08-055 August 1944*Citizen Military ForcesGallantry during Cowra breakout^1951-04-2424 April 1951 – 6 November 1951*Australian ArmyFortitude while a prisoner of war, Korean War^1942-08-01August 1942 – March 1944*Second Australian Imperial ForceFortitude while a prisoner of war, Second World War^1941-11-1414 November1941 – 30 June 1942Royal Australian Naval Volunteer ReserveMine recovery and defusion, Second World War1976-06-044 June 1976Victoria Police ForceIntervention in an armed robbery^1964-02-1010 February 1964*Royal Australian NavyGallantry during Melbourne-Voyager collision^1941-05-1919 May 1941 – 25 December 1942Royal Australian Naval Volunteer ReserveMine recovery and defusion, Second World War1951-01-01January–March 1951Commonwealth Bureau of Mineral ResourcesGallantry during eruption of Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea
Empire Gallantry Medal, Albert Medal and Edward Medal exchanges EGM = This indicates a recipient of the Empire Gallantry Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross. AM = This indicates a recipient of the Albert Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross. EM = This indicates a recipient of the Edward Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross.
Name Date of action Organisation Summary of action(s) Notes^1918-05-1212 April 1918Royal Naval Volunteer ReserveGallantry during engine room explosion on HM Motor Launch 356AM1922-02-044 February 1922North Bondi Surf Life Saving ClubRescue of swimmer during shark attackAM1918-07-1212 July 1918CivilianRisked his life in an attempt to save a fellow minerEM1927-01-033 January 1927CivilianRescue of swimmer during shark attackAM1929-01-1919 January 1929CivilianRescue of swimmer during shark attackAM1924-11-1919 November 1924Chauffeur to Governor-General of SudanGallantry during assassination of the Governor-General of SudanEGM^1937-08-3131 August 1937Royal Australian Air ForceAttempted rescue of an officer trapped in a burning aircraftAM1915-10-099 October 1915 – 19 March 1916Imperial Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionGallantry during Trans-Antarctic ExpeditionAM1935-05-1515 May 1935Australia-New Zealand mail flightGallantry during flight when the aircraft's starboard engine failedEGM
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