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During the celebrations to commemorate the Centenary of the Victoria Cross in June 1956, Brigadier Sir John Smyth Bt, VC, MC, MP, was approached with the suggestion that he should form a VC Association. However, Brigadier Smyth, being a busy Member of Parliament and having no headquarters for an association, was about to turn down the invitation when he received a telephone call from Sir Ralph Raynor MP, chairman of the Royal Society of St George. On behalf of His Grace the Duke of Devonshire and the Royal Society, of which the Duke was president and H.M. the Queen patron, Sir Ralph Raynor invited John Smyth to form a VC Association based on St. George's House and 'under the umbrella' of the Royal Society. This gesture by the Royal Society made the whole thing possible and Sir John Smyth accepted the chairmanship of the association and it functioned for the first time on the occasion of the tea party held in Westminster Hall on 25th June 1956. On the morning of 27th June the newly constituted committee of the Victoria Cross Association met at St. George's House consisting of twenty-four VCs, thirteen from the United Kingdom and eleven from the Commonwealth. At the second meeting a decision was made to invite holders of the George Cross to Associate Membership. The Committee of the VC Association in June 1956 was then as follows: |
Chairman - VC Association | |||
Brigadier | Sir John | SMYTH Bt, VC, MC, MP | |
Vice-Chairmen - VC Association | |||
The Reverend | Geoffrey | WOOLLEY VC, OBE, MC, MA | United Kingdom |
Brigadier | Milton | GREGG VC, CBE, MC | Canada |
Committee Members - VC Association | |||
Captain | Augustus | AGAR VC, DSO | United Kingdom |
Mr | John | CHRISTIE VC | United Kingdom |
Group Captain | Hughie | EDWARDS VC, DSO, OBE, DFC | United Kingdom |
Mr | Thomas | GOULD VC | United Kingdom |
Lieutenant Colonel | Reginald | HAINE VC, MC | United Kingdom |
Major | David | JAMIESON VC | United Kingdom |
Mr | Cyril | MARTIN GC, MC | United Kingdom |
Captain | Alfred | POLLARD VC, MC, DCM | United Kingdom |
Air Commodore | Frederick | WEST VC, CBE, MC | United Kingdom |
Lance Corporal | William | SPEAKMAN VC | United Kingdom |
Captain | Edward | BELLEW VC | Canada |
Lieutenant Colonel | William | JOYNT VC | Australia |
Lieutenant | Quentin | SMYTHE VC | South Africa |
Colonel | Premindra | BHAGAT VC | India |
Subadar | Gaje | GHALE VC | India |
Lieutenant Colonel | Mahmood | DURRANI GC | Pakistan |
Subadar | Khudadad | KHAN VC | Pakistan |
Havildar | Ali | HAIDER VC | Pakistan |
The Reverend | Keith | ELLIOTT VC | New Zealand |
Mr | John | HINTON VC | New Zealand |
In 1962, at the 3rd Reunion of the VC Association, a decision was made to invite holders of the George Cross to full membership and as a result the association was renamed the "Victoria Cross & George Cross Association". |
Reunion | Date | Location | Guest of Honour |
1st Reunion | 24 July 1958 | Café Royal | HRH The Duke of Gloucester |
2nd Reunion | 7 July 1960 | Café Royal | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
3rd Reunion | 18 July 1962 | Café Royal | The Earl Mountbatten |
4th Reunion | 16 July 1964 | Café Royal | HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother |
5th Reunion | 14 July 1966 | Café Royal | The Right Hon Harold Wilson, Prime Minister |
6th Reunion | 19 July 1968 | Café Royal | HRH The Duke & Duchess of Kent |
7th Reunion | 18 June 1970 | Connaught Rooms | HRH The Princess Alexandra |
8th Reunion | 14 July 1972 | Café Royal | HRH The Princess Anne |
9th Reunion | 23 May 1974 | Café Royal | HRH The Prince Richard of Gloucester |
10th Reunion | 22 April 1976 | Café Royal | HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
11th Reunion | 11 May 1978 | Café Royal | No Royal personage attended |
12th Reunion | 19 May 1981 | Savoy Hotel | HRH The Prince of Wales |
13th Reunion | 6 October 1983 | Café Royal | HRH The Prince Andrew |
14th Reunion | 15 May 1986 | Café Royal | Field Marshal Sir Edwin Brammall, GCB, OBE |
15th Reunion | 12 May 1988 | Café Royal | Lord Elwyn Jones CH |
16th Reunion | 1 November 1990 | Café Royal | HRH The Princess Royal |
17th Reunion | 27 May 1993 | Café Royal | HRH The Duchess of Kent |
18th Reunion | 1 November 1995 | Café Royal | HRH The Princess Margaret |
19th Reunion | 29 May 1997 | Locarno Suite FCO | HRH The Duke of York |
20th Reunion | 15 April 1999 | Armoury Ho, HQ HAC | HRH The Princess Alexandra |
21st Reunion | 31 May 2001 | No 1 Whitehall Place | HRH The Prince of Wales ( luncheon ) |
22nd Reunion | 15 May 2003 | Army & Navy Club | No Royal personage attended |
23rd Reunion | 15 September 2005 | Royal Hospital Chelsea | HRH The Princess Royal |
24th Reunion | 28 June 2006 | Windsor Castle | HM Queen Elizabeth II |
25th Reunion | 11 September 2008 | Union Jack Club | The Marquess of Salisbury |
26th Reunion | 10 November 2010 | Reception Buckingham Palace | HM The Queen & HRH The Duke of Edinburgh |
27th Reunion | 30 May 2012 | Reception Naval & Military Club | HRH Prince of Wales & The Duchess of Cornwall |
28th Reunion | 29 October 2014 | St James' Palace | HRH Prince Harry |
29th Reunion | 11 May 2016 | St James' Palace | HM Queen Elizabeth II |
30th Reunion | 15 May 2018 | Buckingham Palace | HM Queen Elizabeth II |
Iain Stewart, 15 May 2018