The Victoria Cross is Britain’s most prestigious honour for those who have shown great bravery and valour in the field of battle. Since the award’s inception in 1857, only 1,356 servicemen and one woman have received this medal, either while living or posthumously. 

And yet, even among these rare few, there is a fraternity within a fraternity. For those brave souls who have earned a second Victoria Cross, a bar is added to the ribbon of this prestigious medal.

In 167 years, only two members of the Royal Army Medical Corps have earned the Double Victoria Cross. This Remembrance Day, TSG is honoured to celebrate the servicemen whose incredible acts of bravery, compassion and self-sacrifice will echo through the ages. 

Surgeon Captain Arthur Martin-Leake   

Essex-born Arthur Martin-Leake studied medicine at University College Hospital, qualifying in 1893. After a brief period working at a hospital in Hemel Hempstead, he joined the 42nd (Hertfordshire) Company, Imperial Yeomanry and left England in 1899 to serve in the Boer War, earning the rank of Surgeon Captain.

He earned his first Victoria Cross at the Battle of Vlakfontein. Shot just 100 metres from enemy lines and under constant fire, he continued to attend to his wounded comrades until he passed out from his wounds. 

When the Great War dawned in 1914, Martin-Leake joined the Royal Army Medical Corps. It was here he earned his second Victoria Cross. While under fire at Zonnebeke, West Flanders, Martin-Leake again continued to tend to his wounded comrades at great personal risk while under heavy fire.

Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse

Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse was both a gifted athlete and a talented medic. He competed in the 400m event at the 1908 Olympic Games and studied medicine at Oxford University. 

Chavesse enlisted in the Royal Medical Corps prior to the start of World War One. Eager to contribute to the war effort, he was attached to the 10th Battalion King’s (Liverpool) Regiment. It was not long before he found himself embroiled in the Battle of Hooge, one of the most devastating battles of the war, he was one of only 142 men to survive in a battalion of 900.

Here, he earned his first Victoria Cross, tending to wounded soldiers all day out in the open under a barrage of gunfire. 

His second VC was awarded posthumously. Engaged with the enemy at Wieltie in Belgium, Chavesse refused to leave his post. Without food or medical attention, he spent days searching for and treating injured troops in No Man’s Land before succumbing to his stomach wounds from a bombshell blast. 

Remembrance Day is a time to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who fought to create a better tomorrow for future generations. If you’d like to get involved, take a look at the Royal British Legion’s website.

Image Source: Canva