Press release by Spink on 06 March 2008.
Spink, in association with the Ashcroft V.C. Trust, is proud to announce that they will be hosting an exhibition of fifty Victoria Crosses from the most important collection of these Awards ever formed.
Britain’s largest display of the world’s highest and most prestigious Decoration for Gallantry for over half a century will be open to the General Public in Spink’s Main Gallery, 16th-25th April 2008. The Exhibition features Crosses, together with how they were won, from the Crimean War to the Second World War, encompassing 15 different armed conflicts.
This ‘Hall of Fame’ includes V.C.’s awarded to Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott Chard, R.E., immortalised for his Gallantry and Leadership whilst Commanding the Mission Station at Rorke’s Drift, against 4,500 Zulus, 1879 South Africa; Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson, R.F.C., the first pilot to shoot down a German Zeppelin over mainland Britain in the Great War 1914-19; A Cross for The Defence of Mafeking, 1899, South Africa; The Boxer Rebellion, 1900, China; The Lancashire Landings, Gallipoli, 1915; A Posthumous Cross for the Commando Raid on Rommel’s Headquarters, Western Desert, 1941, and the incredible Cross to Sergeant Norman Cyril Jackson, R.A.F., who diced with death at 22,000 feet above Germany attempting to extinguish a fire on the wing of a Lancaster Bomber.
Lord Ashcroft stated, “I am delighted to be co-operating with Spink, the world’s oldest medal dealers, by loaning them a selection of Victoria Crosses for their forthcoming exhibition in April. It is anticipated that the entire collection will be available for permanent public display in 2010 but, in the meantime, I hope that this Spink exhibition will provide a worthy foretaste of my aim to celebrate and commemorate ‘the bravest of the brave’ from our history.”
About Spink
Spink is the world’s leading auctioneer of coins, stamps, medals and banknotes with offices in London, Singapore, New York and Dallas. Since its foundation in 1666, the Spink name has become synonymous with tradition, experience and integrity. Holders of three royal warrants and numerous records for prices achieved at auction, Spink offer an unparalleled range of services to collectors worldwide.
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