How Knox’s bravery contributed to his winning Victoria Cross?

The Victoria Cross is the highest award for valour in the British army. The medal was first given to a British soldier in 1857 when Scottish soldier John Simpson Knox was recognised for his bravery in the Crimea. Since then many Scottish soldiers have been awarded the Victoria Cross but the early Scottish VC recipients set an example to the British Army for the next 150 years.

Knox joined the army as an underage soldier of 14 but as tall boy he was promoted to Corporal before he was even 18, and by the time he had been deployed to the Crimea in 1854 he had gained the rank of Sergeant in the Scottish Fusiliers. The battle of Alma was one of the first near suicidal advances by the British and French forces during the campaign. Faced with crossing a river and climbing a hill with well dug in Russian Artillery opposing the allied forces were unlikely to succeed. The young Glaswegian, Knox, was in the reserve of the main attack but the impossibility of the mission meant he was soon trying take his men forward through the retreating men of the first attack.