The Victoria Cross: For Valour was a 2003
BBC television historical documentary
presented by Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson
examines the history of the Victoria Cross,
and follows the story of one of the 1,354
men who were awarded it - Major Robert Henry
Cain. The main part of the programme was to
describe how in September 1944, Major Cain
won what was described as the "finest
Victoria Cross of the whole war" (Second
World War) by his commanding officer Lt Col
Derek Mcnally. It’s only at the end of the
programme that it is revealed that Clarkson
is married to the Major’s daughter who had
no idea that her father was a VC winner
until after his death in 1974.
Clarkson also reveals the history of the
medal itself and how it is, and always has
been, manufactured by a small London
jeweller Hancocks Ltd, London, from bronze.
The bronze itself is from the melted down
breeches of a Chinese-made cannon captured
from the Russians at Sevastopol in the
Crimean War. The remaining lump of this
metal is only enough to around 80VC’s. It
was locked away in a safe in a military
storage depot in Donnington, Telford. also
the bronze is worth next to nothing, but
because of its history and the use to which
it is put to use the bronze is priceless.
