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Captain | William Faulds' Victoria Cross was stolen in October 1994 off a display in the National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg. The VC has never been recovered. ( Faulds' VC action took place at Delville Wood, Somme, France, on 18 July 1916 ) |
William FAULDS | |
1st Bn, South African Infantry |
Petty Officer | Alfred Sephton's Victoria Cross was stolen on 25 September 1990 whilst on display in Coventry Cathedral. The VC has never been recovered. ( Sephton was awarded his VC for action on HMS 'Coventry' in the Mediterranean on 18 May 1941 ) |
Alfred SEPHTON | |
Royal Navy - HMS 'Coventry' |
L / Corporal | Francis Jefferson's Victoria Cross was stolen in January 1982 during a burglary at his mother's home at Luton Street, Bolton, Lancashire. The VC has never been recovered. ( Jefferson's VC action took place at Monte Cassino, Italy, on 16 May 1944 ) |
Francis JEFFERSON | |
2nd Bn, Lancashire Fusiliers |
Brigadier | Milton Gregg's Victoria Cross was stolen on 24 December 1978 from the Royal Canadian Regiment Museum, London, Ontario. The VC has never been recovered. ( Gregg's VC action took place near Cambrai, France, between 27 September and 1 October 1918 ) |
Milton GREGG | |
Royal Canadian Regiment |
Captain | Edward Bellew's Victoria Cross is believed to have been stolen from the Royal Canadian Military Institute, Toronto, between January 1975 and 22 July 1977. The VC has never been recovered. ( Bellew's VC action took place near Kerselaere, Belgium, on 24 April 1915 ) |
Edward BELLEW | |
7th Bn, CEF |
Lance Corporal | Rambahadur Limbu's Victoria Cross was stolen, along with all his possesions, whilst on a train journey from India to his native Nepal in 1967. Rambahadur Limbu later received an official replacement VC. ( Rambahadur Limbu's VC action took place in Sarawak in 1965 ) |
Rambahadur LIMBU | |
10th Gurkha Rifles |
Private | John O'Neill's Victoria Cross and campaign medals were stolen on 13 February 1962 during a burglary at the premises of coin & medal dealer Seaby & Co, in Great Portland Street, London. The VC has never been recovered. ( O'Neill's VC action took place at Moorseele, Belgium, on 14 October 1918 ). |
John O'NEILL | |
Leinster Regimentt |
Private | A thief stole John McDougall's Victoria Cross from a house in Scotland in 1960, leaving behind the ribbon and suspension bar, which are now on display in the Essex Regiment Museum. The VC has never been recovered. ( McDougall's VC action took place at Taku Forts, China, on 21 August 1860 ). |
John MCDOUGALL | |
44th Regiment |
Captain | Gian Singh's Victoria Cross was stolen between 26 June and 23 September 1960. A replacement was issued to him on 18 September 1961. The original VC has never been recovered. ( Singh's VC action took place at Kamye, Myingyan Road, Burma, on 2 March 1945 ) |
Gian SINGH | |
4th Bn, 15th Punjab Regiment |
Lieutenant | George Knowland's Victoria Cross was stolen in 1958 from the Spreadeagle Inn, Whitecross Street, Finsbury, London. The VC has never been recovered. ( Knowland's VC action took place near Kangaw, Burma, on 31 January 1945 ) |
George KNOWLAND | |
Royal Norfolk Regiment |
Private | It is believe at some time during the 1920s Michael O'Rourke's original VC was either lost by the recipient or possibly pawned. The VC has never been recovered. ( O'Rourke's VC action took place at Lens, France on 15-17 August 1917 ) |
Michael O'ROURKE | |
British Columbia Regiment |
Major | The Hawker family belongings were left behind after the fall of France in 1940. On their return, their possessions had been looted and stolen, including the VC. A replacement was issued to Hawker's brother on 3 February 1960. ( Hawker's VC action took place over Hooge, Belgium on 25 July 1915 ) |
Lanoe HAWKER | |
6 Sqdn, Royal Flying Corps |
Private | Thomas Holmes' Victoria Cross was stolen from him in 1935. A replacement was issued to him on 6 August 1935. The original VC has never been recovered. ( Holmes' VC action took place at Wolf Copse, Passchendaele, Belgium, on 26 October 1917 ) |
Thomas HOLMES | |
4th Bn, Canadian Mounted Rifles |
Sergeant | In 1892 a replacement Victoria Cross was sent to William Gordon whose original had been stolen. This VC now resides in the Jamaica Defence Force Museum, Kingston. The original VC has never been recovered. ( Gordon's VC action took place Toniataba, West Africa, on 13 March 1892 ). |
William GORDON | |
West India Regiment |
Mr | In 1878 a replacement Victoria Cross was sent to the India Office for forwarding to William McDonell, a High Court Judge in Calcutta, to replace his VC which had been stolen. The original VC has never been recovered. ( McDonell's VC action took place at Arrah during the Indian Mutiny on 30 July 1857 ). |
William MCDONELL | |
Bengal Civil Service |
Ensign | In May 1868 a replacement Victoria Cross was sent to the GOC Melbourne for forwarding to William McKenna whose original had been stolen. This VC now resides in the Auckland Museum. The original VC has never been recovered. ( McKenna's VC action took place in New Zealand, on 7 September 1863 ). |
Edward MCKENNA | |
65th Regiment |
Rear Admiral | Following one of his trips from London to Scotland, before March 1879, Charles Lucas discovered he had left his Victoria Cross medal set in a train carriage. Why Charles Lucas would carry his VC medal group with him on one of his regular journeys between London and Scotland is a mystery. Intriguingly, Lucas never applied for an official replacement VC. The medals have never been recovered but there is a poor 'copy' VC held by the National Maritime Museum |
Charles LUCAS | |
Royal Navy |
Lt General | It is believed the Victoria Cross awarded to Henry Havelock-Allan went missing during his lifetime, possibly lost or stolen after he left India. He held several posts at home and abroad the whole time wearing a 'copy' Victoria Cross. The Havelock-Allan family have no knowledge of the whereabouts of the original VC. |
Henry HAVELOCK-ALLAN | |
10th Regiment |
Captain | In 1949 the Shebbeare Victoria Cross was loaned to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. Upon the approach of the Centenary of the award of the Victoria Cross in 1956, the Shebbeare family asked the RMA to return the Cross, but it could not be found. Various reasons were made by the Academy for the missing VC, that it had been mislaid, or even stolen, but no satisfactory answer has been revealed. |
Robert SHEBBEARE | |
Corps of Guides ( Infantry ) |
Private | The loss of Samuel Harvey's Victoria Cross in the 1920s are variously believed to be: swapped for beer in a pub; lost in a wood near Ipswich whilst returning home from a pub; or possibly Harvey sold his Victoria Cross privately. There have been no sightings of the VC since. |
Samuel HARVEY | |
York & Lancaster Regiment |
Lieutenant | The Duncan Home Victoria Cross was believed lost sometime in the 1920s after children took the VC outside of the house to play 'soldiers' with it in a field. Intensive searches of the field and the surrounding area failed to find it. There have been no sightings of the VC since. |
Duncan HOME | |
Royal Engineers |
General | There is a Victoria Cross held by the Royal Engineers Museum which is not the original but a copy. General Prendergast's GCB and camapaign medals are the originals and are held by the Royal Engineers Museum, but what happened to the original Victoria Cross is a complete mystery. |
Harry PRENDERGAST | |
Madras Engineers |
Captain | Julian Gribble's Victoria Cross was destroyed in a fire at his brother's home Wamil Hall, near Mildenhall, Suffolk, in 1958. As far as is known no replacement Victoria Cross was requested by the family. ( Gribble's VC action took place at Hermies Ridge, France, on 23 March 1918 ) |
Julian GRIBBLE | |
Warwickshire Regiment |
Lieutenant | Hugh McKenzie's Victoria Cross was destroyed in a fire in Canada on 24 May 1955. A replacement VC was issued and now resides in the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa. ( McKenzie's VC action took place at Meescheele Spur, Belgium, on 30 October 1917 ) |
Hugh MCKENZIE | |
Canadian MG Corps |
2nd Lieutenant | George Cates' Victoria Cross was destroyed in a fire in 1951. A replacement VC was issued and now resides in the Royal Green Jackets Museum, Winchester, Hampshire. ( Cates' VC action took place at Bouchavesnes, France, on 8 March 1917 ) |
George CATES | |
2nd Bn, Rifle Brigade |
Private | James Osborne's Victoria Cross was destroyed during an air raid on Belfast in 1941. A replacement VC was never applied for. ( Osborne's VC action took place at Wesselstroom, South Africa, on 22 February 1881 ) |
James OSBORNE | |
Northamptonshire Regiment |
Lieutenant Colonel | Joseph Crowe's Victoria Cross was destroyed when his sister's farm caught fire at Firlands, Rondebosch, Cape Province, South Africa. The Victoria Cross was not recovered from the debris. ( Crowe's VC action took place at Cawnpore, India, on 12 August 1857 ) |
Joseph CROWE | |
Seaforth Highlanders |
Hospital Apprentice | Following Andrew Fitzgibbon's death on 7th March 1883 in Delhi, India, it is believed his Victoria Cross was buried with him in Delhi's Old Military Cemetery. His grave is not marked and there is no indication that a headstone ever existed. ( Fitzgibbon's VC action took place at the Taku Forts, China, on 21 August 1860 ) |
Andrew FITZGIBBON | |
Bengal Medical Service |
Iain Stewart, 20 November 2023