Lord Ashcroft KCMG PC has had his latest “hero of the month” article published in Britain at War, the country’s best-selling military history monthly magazine.
The July edition of the magazine has a two-page write-up on the life and bravery of Captain Albert Jacka, who was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for courage during the Great War.
Jacka, an Australian, was an extraordinarily brave soldier who could be terrifyingly aggressive in the heat of battle. He was awarded his VC, as a lance-corporal, for great courage in May 1915, shortly after the Gallipoli landings.
He went on to be awarded the Military Cross and Bar (the equivalent of a second MC) for bravery later in the war, but there were many who firmly believed that his relentless gallantry deserved at least a second, if not a third, VC. Jacka survived the conflict but, having been affected by mustard gas during the war, died in 1932, aged only 39.
Lord Ashcroft’s articles for Britain at War over the past three years have been largely based on excerpts from four of his books on gallantry: Victoria Cross Heroes, Special Forces Heroes, George Cross Heroes and Heroes of the Skies. His fifth bravery book, Special Ops Heroes, was published in November 2014.
For the foreseeable future, Lord Ashcroft’s “hero of the month” articles will concentrate on men who were awarded the VC during the First World War.
Lord Ashcroft is a military historian who has lectured extensively on courage and his various medal collections.
- Lord Ashcroft’s latest article appears in the July issue of Britain at War which is on sale now.
