List of Australian George Cross recipients

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An ellipse of orange pavers surrounded by a grey border, with a man-made rock structure on one side of the ellipse displaying plaques. On the other side are two bench seats. Grass surrounds the ellipse and trees can be seen in the background.
Memorial to Australian recipients of the George Cross, George Cross Park, Canberra.

The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration for heroism in the United Kingdom. Australia as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations through the Governor-General of Australia was eligible to recommend awards, with the last GC recommended in 1972, on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister, for the late Jack Emanuel GC. Each governor of the six Australian colonies, when achieving self-government in the second half of the nineteenth century, had the power on the advice of the colonial premier to recommend awards. This power was retained by colonial governors who became state governors when Australia federated on 1 January 1901. The last Australian recommendation for the GC was made by the State Governor of Victoria in 1978 for the award to Constable Michael Kenneth Pratt.[1]

Australian prime minister Paul Keating, on 5 October 1992, following more than two years of negotiations with Australian State governments, announced Australia would make no further recommendations under the Imperial honours system. British honours awarded to Australians, including the GC, after the announcement, would be treated as foreign awards.[2][3] The highest civil decoration for heroism in Australia is the Cross of Valour instituted by letters patent within the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories on 14 February 1975 when the Australian honours system was inaugurated.[4][5]

Between the first award of the GC to an Australian in 1942 and the final bestowal to Constable Pratt in1978,14 Australians were directly decorated with the medal. Nine awards were to military personnel and five were to civilians. Eight of the awards were posthumous.[6]

Exchange recipients

At the time of the institution of the GC, all living recipients of the Empire Gallantry Medal which included two Australians, were deemed holders of the GC.

On 21 October 1971, the British Government announced that living recipients of the Albert Medal and Edward Medal would be deemed holders of the GC. Unlike the 1940 Empire Gallantry Medal exchange when it was mandatory for recipients to exchange insignia, the former Albert Medal and Edward Medal recipients had the option of retaining their insignia. Of the 27 Australian holders of the Albert Medal, six were living in 1971 and all opted to exchange their insignia. Five of the six received the GC personally from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in 1972. Only one of the eight Australians awarded the Edward Medal was alive in 1971 and this was not known until this century. In the 2020 Australian War Memorial book For Gallantry: Australians awarded the George Cross and the Cross of Valour, Frank Duller, who died in 1983 is listed as a GC holder. Of the 23 Australian GC holders, Michael Pratt GC is the only living Australian GC recipient.

Recipients

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The George Cross
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Direct awards of the George Cross

Name Date of action Organisation Summary of action(s) Notes
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1945-01-1212 January 1945* New South Wales Police Force Apprehended a suspect while mortally wounded [7]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1960-04-2929 April 1960* Metropolitan Tram Trust Attempting to regain control of tram during accident [8]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1969-07-01July 1969 –
August 1971*		 District Commissioner, Territory of Papua New Guinea Resolving factional conflicts and restoring local government in Papua New Guinea [9]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1943-06-1212 June 1943 –
10 April 1944		 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [10]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1945-05-088–19 May 1945 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [11]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1944-08-055 August 1944* Citizens Military Force Gallantry during Cowra breakout [12]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1944-08-055 August 1944* Citizens Military Force Gallantry during Cowra breakout [12]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1951-04-2424 April 1951 –
6 November 1951*		 Australian Army Fortitude while a prisoner of war, Korean War [13]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1942-08-01August 1942 –
March 1944*		 Second Australian Imperial Force Fortitude while a prisoner of war, Second World War [14]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1941-11-1414 November1941 – 30 June 1942 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [15]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1976-06-044 June 1976 Victoria Police Force Intervention in an armed robbery [16]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1964-02-1010 February 1964* Royal Australian Navy Gallantry during Melbourne-Voyager collision [17]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1941-05-1919 May 1941 –
25 December 1942		 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [18]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1951-01-01January–March 1951 Commonwealth Bureau of Mineral Resources Gallantry during eruption of Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea [19]

Empire Gallantry Medal, Albert Medal and Edward Medal exchanges

EGM = This indicates a recipient of the Empire Gallantry Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross.
AM = This indicates a recipient of the Albert Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross.
EM = This indicates a recipient of the Edward Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross.

Name Date of action Organisation Summary of action(s) Notes
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1918-05-1212 April 1918 Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Gallantry during engine room explosion on HM Motor Launch 356 AM[20]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1922-02-044 February 1922 North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club Rescue of swimmer during shark attack AM[21]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1918-07-1212 July 1918 Civilian Risked his life in an attempt to save fellow miner EM[22]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1927-01-033 January 1927 Civilian Rescue of swimmer during shark attack AM[23]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1929-01-1919 January 1929 Civilian Rescue of swimmer during shark attack AM[24]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1924-11-1919 November 1924 Chauffeur to Governor-General of Sudan Gallantry during assassination of the Governor-General of Sudan EGM[25]
Script error: No such module "Sort".^ 1937-08-3131 August 1937 Royal Australian Air Force Attempted rescue of an officer trapped in a burning aircraft AM[26]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1915-10-099 October 1915 –
19 March 1916		 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Gallantry during Trans-Antarctic Expedition AM[27]
Script error: No such module "Sort". 1935-05-1515 May 1935 Australia-New Zealand mail flight Gallantry during flight when the aircraft's starboard engine failed EGM[28]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes".
  2. ↑ A matter of honour: the report of the review of Australian honours and awards, December 1995, pp. 21–22
  3. ↑ Commonwealth of Australia Special Gazette S192, Friday, 28 September 2007 published with GN40, 17 October 2007 online at https://www.legislation.gov.au/gazettes/historic/2007
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Footnotes". pp. viii-ix
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "London Gazette util".

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References

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Template:George Cross

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