17/04/2008 04:00:00
The largest display of Victoria Crosses (VCs) in Britain will be shown in a public exhibition at the Spink Gallery in London.
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration for gallantry that can be awarded in the Armed Forces, and is a very prestigious accolade.
According to The Times, the 50 Victoria Crosses that will be displayed at the Bloomsbury gallery are owned by Lord Ashcroft, who is in possession of 10 per cent of the 1351 medals that have been awarded since the inception of the Victoria Cross in 1856.
The VCs featured in the exhibition originate from 15 different armed conflicts, from the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900 to the Lancashire Landings at Gallipoli in 1915.
The Times states: "Among them is one awarded to RAF Sergeant Norman Jackson, who climbed out on to the fuselage of his Lancaster bomber to extinguish a fire 22,000ft above Germany during the Second World War."
Lord Ashcroft is the author of the book 'Victoria Cross Heroes'. His collection of VCs will remain on display at the Spink Gallery in Southampton Row until April 25, but is expected to go on permanent display in 2010.
He said: "I am delighted to be co-operating with Spink, the world's oldest medal dealers, by loaning them a selection of Victoria Crosses for their forthcoming exhibition.
"I hope that this Spink exhibition will provide a worthy foretaste of my aim to celebrate and commemorate 'the bravest of the brave' from our history."