We are honoured to be entrusted with these VCs and GCs from the Lord Ashcroft Medal Collection. These medals, and the individual acts of extraordinary bravery and valour they represent, form a powerful part of the Army's story.
George Washington had a problem in the winter of 1777. Smallpox was devastating the already undermanned Continental Army, and much-needed new recruits were being quarantined for a month as a precautionary measure. In addition, Washington had intelligence that the British had devised a scheme to infect more troops. So the general made a fateful decision. Every soldier and recruit would be inoculated, a technique by which they would be infected, likely get a mild case, and acquire immunity.
She became a useful tool. She became a saint, you might say, of the Revolution. People felt as though they could feel her fear, feel her death, feel her love for her fiancé. Underlying all of that was the sense that American leaders can't let this happen to white families ever again, this in spite of the fact that white Americans were just as vicious to Native Americans.
Britain once ruled over the largest empire in history. For many Britons, it remains a source of pride. Others argue its power was built on a legacy of brutality, colonial conquest and the enslavement of millions. Can Britain reckon with that past and make amends?
Carefully, he takes out a flier, yellowed and brittle with age. The text at the top is Vietnamese. Underneath there is English. It reads: Colored Gl's! The South Vietnamese people, who are struggling for their independence and freedom, are friends with the American colored people being victim of barbarous racial discrimination at home. Your battlefield is right in the USA! Your enemy is the war lords in the White House and the Pentagon!
Lord Jeffrey Amherst was a soldier of the king And he came from across the sea, To the Frenchmen and the Indians he didn't do a thing In the wilds of this wild country But for his Royal Majesty he fought with all his might For he was a soldier brave and true He conquered all his enemies whenever they came in sight And he looked around for more when he was through.
The government tabled what is known as a remedial order to remove the immunity clause after court challenges said it was incompatible with the European convention on human rights. Keir Starmer told the House of Commons the change would fulfil legal obligations while protecting veterans from vexatious prosecutions. Under the last government, they passed legislation which was struck down, leaving our veterans utterly exposed. We're putting in place proper measures to protect them, the prime minister said.
"These five soldiers, in their separate moments of supreme testing, summoned a degree of courage that stirs wonder and respect and an overpowering pride in all of us," he continued. "Through their spectacular courage, they set themselves apart in a very select company. They represent the contribution of more than half a million young Americans to a world of order and of peace."
