44 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
Exactly what constituted a ‘signal act of valour or devotion’ was the question
that exercised Horse Guards and the War Office in the early days of the Cross.
There was also some initial confusion as to the intent of the Crown
concerning eligibility. While the Fifth Clause stated that ‘officers and men’
were equally considered for the award, Lord Panmure apparently understood
this to mean that the Cross was a supplement to the Order of the Bath, that
although there was no official point of demarcation, the VC was intended
to be a province of the enlisted ranks and the officers below the rank of
colonel. He solicited the opinion of Viscount Henry Hardinge, the Army’s
top commander, on the matter:
In order to more fully to give effect to her Majesty’s gracious intentions,
Lord Panmure proposes that the grant of the decoration, so far as the
Army is concerned, only be made to all those officers in the lower grades
of the Army, and non commissioned officers and soldiers who by the
performance of deeds of gallantry since the commencement of the present
war, may be enabled to substantiate their claim to it according to the
conditions laid down in the enclosed instrument; and I request that you
will move Lord Harding to favour Lord Panmure with his opinion on
the subject.^2
Before Hardinge could reply, Panmure either changed his mind or had it
changed for him, as his secretary Godfrey Charles Mundy wrote Hardinge’s
military secretary, Major General Sir Charles Yorke:
With reference to my letter of the 25th ultimo I am directed by Lord
Panmure to request you will state to the Field Marshal Commanding in
Chief that it is intended that the decoration of the Victoria Cross may be
bestowed on officers of all ranks who have distinguished themselves by
conspicuous bravery.^3
This was the only time Hardinge was consulted as to the Victoria Cross,
as he suffered an incapacitating stroke on 7 July 1856 and resigned two
days later. As his successor, Victoria chose her cousin George, the Duke of
Cambridge, to serve as the General-Commanding-in-Chief.^4 As a member
of the royal family he would maintain the close connection between Crown
and Army that the Queen so desired. He retained that office until 31 October
1895, and in the process left a deep imprint on the character of the Victoria
Cross, for it was under his aegis that the War Office and Horse Guards
established a selection process.^5
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