September 2006
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Royal Mail's new Victoria Cross stamp issue, released on 21 September 2006, celebrates the highest award in the British Honours system.
The Victoria Cross (VC) was created in 1856 and is the highest award available to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces in recognition of valour "in the face of the enemy".
A total of 1,356 VCs have been awarded making it one of the rarest medals in the world. Since the end of the Second World War, only 13 VCs have been awarded.
Gallantry Awards, 1990
The stamps below are from the Gallantry Awards stamp issue from September 1990.
They feature a selection of British awards including the Victoria Cross, the George Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Military Cross and the Distinguished Service Cross.
The Soldier's Tale, 1999
The very first Victoria Cross award ceremony took place in 1857, but some of the awards were backdated to recognise soldiers from the Crimean War, which began three years previously.The following stamps, from The Soldier's Tale stamp issue from October 1999, show portraits of soldiers from the Crimean War.
Why not visit our current Stamp of the Month exhibition for 2007?
