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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

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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

  This along with the * (asterisk) indicates that the George Cross was awarded posthumously.
  This along with the ^ indicates that the George Cross was awarded to military personnel for actions "not in the face of the enemy".

Direct awards of the George Cross

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Name Date of action Organisation Summary of action(s) Notes
Eric Bailey 1945-01-1212 January 1945* New South Wales Police Force Apprehended a suspect while mortally wounded [7]
Raymond Donoghue 1960-04-2929 April 1960* Metropolitan Tram Trust Attempting to regain control of tram during accident [8]
Errol Emanuel 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]
Leon Goldsworthy^ 1943-06-1212 June 1943 –
10 April 1944		 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [10]
George Gosse^ 1945-05-088–19 May 1945 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [11]
Benjamin Gower Hardy^ 1944-08-055 August 1944* Citizens Military Force Gallantry during Cowra breakout [12]
Ralph Jones^ 1944-08-055 August 1944* Citizens Military Force Gallantry during Cowra breakout [12]
Horace Madden^ 1951-04-2424 April 1951 –
6 November 1951*		 Australian Army Fortitude while a prisoner of war, Korean War [13]
Lionel Matthews^ 1942-08-01August 1942 –
March 1944*		 Second Australian Imperial Force Fortitude while a prisoner of war, Second World War [14]
John Mould^ 1941-11-1414 November1941 – 30 June 1942 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [15]
Michael Pratt 1976-06-044 June 1976 Victoria Police Force Intervention in an armed robbery [16]
Jonathan Rogers^ 1964-02-1010 February 1964* Royal Australian Navy Gallantry during Melbourne-Voyager collision [17]
Hugh Syme^ 1941-05-1919 May 1941 –
25 December 1942		 Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War [18]
Anthony Taylor 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

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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
Arthur Bagot^ 1918-05-1212 April 1918 Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Gallantry during engine room explosion on HM Motor Launch 356 AM[20]
John Chalmers 1922-02-044 February 1922 North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club Rescue of swimmer during shark attack AM[21]
Frank Duller 1918-07-1212 July 1918 Civilian Risked his life in an attempt to save fellow miner EM[22]
Stanley Gibbs 1927-01-033 January 1927 Civilian Rescue of swimmer during shark attack AM[23]
Robert Kavanaugh 1929-01-1919 January 1929 Civilian Rescue of swimmer during shark attack AM[24]
Frederick March 1924-11-1919 November 1924 Chauffeur to Governor-General of Sudan Gallantry during assassination of the Governor-General of Sudan EGM[25]
William McAloney^ 1937-08-3131 August 1937 Royal Australian Air Force Attempted rescue of an officer trapped in a burning aircraft AM[26]
Richard Richards 1915-10-099 October 1915 –
19 March 1916		 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Gallantry during Trans-Antarctic Expedition AM[27]
Patrick Taylor 1935-05-1515 May 1935 Australia-New Zeal9nd rmail flight Gallantry during flight when the aircraft's starboard engine failed EGM[28]

Notes

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  1. ^ Staunton 2005, p. 339
  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. ^ "Cross of Valour". It's an Honour. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
  5. ^ Staunton 2005, p. 350
  6. ^ Blanch 2020 pp. viii-ix
  7. ^ "No. 37771". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 October 1946. p. 5307.
  8. ^ "No. 42162". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 October 1960. p. 6849.
  9. ^ "No. 45588". The London Gazette. 1 February 1972. p. 1281.
  10. ^ "No. 36707". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 September 1944. p. 4333.
  11. ^ "No. 37549". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 April 1946. p. 2085.
  12. ^ a b "No. 39008". The London Gazette. 1 September 1950. p. 4431.
  13. ^ "No. 40665". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1955. p. 7299.
  14. ^ "No. 38134". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 November 1947. p. 5635.
  15. ^ "No. 35769". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 November 1942. p. 4761.
  16. ^ "No. 47582". The London Gazette (Supplement). 4 July 1978. p. 8045.
  17. ^ "No. 43604". The London Gazette. 19 March 1965. p. 2797.
  18. ^ "No. 36118". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 August 1943. p. 3499.
  19. ^ "No. 39519". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 April 1952. p. 2165.
  20. ^ "No. 30852". The London Gazette. 20 August 1918. p. 9700.
  21. ^ "No. 32727". The London Gazette. 7 July 1922. p. 5103.
  22. ^ "No. 31401". The London Gazette. 13 June 1919. p. 7552.
  23. ^ "No. 33246". The London Gazette. 8 February 1927. p. 864.
  24. ^ "No. 33653". The London Gazette. 17 October 1930. pp. 6316–6317.
  25. ^ "No. 32999". The London Gazette. 5 December 1924. p. 8851.
  26. ^ "No. 34485". The London Gazette. 18 February 1938. p. 1069.
  27. ^ "No. 32842". The London Gazette. 6 July 1923. p. 4686.
  28. ^ "No. 34416". The London Gazette. 9 July 1937. pp. 4414–4415.

References

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  • Blanch, Craig (2020). For Gallantry: Australians awarded the George Cross & the Cross of Valour. ISBN 9781742236827.
  • Macklin, Robert (2008). Bravest: How Some of Australia's Greatest War Heroes Won Their Medals. Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74114-882-4.
  • Staunton, Anthony (2005). Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles they Fought. Prahran, Victoria, Australia: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 1-74066-288-1.

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