Texts for Reading

Russian and British Crosses –
Honour for Acts of Valour

В России установлена ещё одна памятная дата – 9 декабря – День Героев Отечества. Эта дата связана с учреждением 9 декабря (26 ноября по старому стилю) 1769 года ордена Святого Георгия Победоносца. Текст о британских и русских наградах Russian and British Crosses был отобран с учётом принципа социокультурной целесообразности. Большинство школьников уже знает, что на флаге Англии изображен крест Святого Георгия, а сам святой – на российском гербе и на гербе Москвы. Предлагаемый материал позволит читателям узнать, что за проявленную доблесть как в Великобритании, так и в России вручают кресты Святого Георгия. Однако российский Георгиевский крест можно получить только за отличия, проявленные в боевых действиях. В Британии за подобные заслуги награждают крестом Виктории. Задания к тексту позволяют закрепить полученные знания и овладеть необходимыми лексическими навыками.

Или грудь в крестах, или голова в кустах.
A cross on your chest or a cross in the ground!
                                             (Поговорка отважных)

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest recognition for valour (признание, отличие за героизм) “in the face of the enemy” that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces of any rank in any service, and civilians under military command. It is also the highest award in the British Honours system (наградная система).

Victoria Cross medal, ribbon, and bar. (Крест Виктории – медаль, лента и планка.)

The decoration takes the form of a cross pattée (медальон в виде креста), 35 mm wide, bearing a crown surmounted by a lion (увенчанный короной лев), and the inscription “FOR VALOUR”. The decoration (знак отличия), suspension bar (подвеска на китель) and link (соединительное звено) weigh about 0.87 troy ounces (тройская унция – 27 g). The ribbon is crimson, 38 mm wide.
The VC was created by Royal Warrant (королевский указ) on 29 January 1856, backdated (записанное задним числом) to 1854 to recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War of 1854–1855. The first award ceremony was on 26 June.
A total of 1,355 Victoria Crosses have been awarded since 1856. This figure (число) is made up of 1,351 people who have earned the VC, plus three bars (awarded to people who receive the decoration a second time), and one award in 1921 to the American Unknown Soldier of the First World War. (The British Unknown Warrior was reciprocally awarded the US Medal of Honor.)
Originally, the Victoria Cross could not be awarded posthumously (посмертно), and could not be awarded to Indian or African troops (although it could be awarded to their European officers). In 1905 it was made possible to be awarded posthumously. Not until the 20th century was it made available to all troops in the service of the Crown (the first Indian soldier, Khudadad Khan, received it in 1914).
Since the end of the Second World War the VC has been awarded only 12 times. Four were awarded during the Korean War, one in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation in 1965, four to Australians in the Vietnam War, two during the Falklands War (война за Фолклендские острова) in 1982, and one in the Second Gulf War (вторая война в Персидском заливе) in 2004.
As the VC is awarded for acts of valour “in the face of the enemy” (за доблесть в сражении с врагом), it has been suggested by some that the changing nature of warfare will result in few VCs being awarded. Only one in ten VC recipients (награжденные) in the 20th century is said to have survived the action for which they received the VC. Following the death of Capt. Umrao Singh, the last surviving Indian holder of the VC, in November 2005, there are currently only twelve surviving holders of the VC – six British, two Australians, and four Gurkhas (гурка – представитель народности, живущей в Непале) – eight of them for exploits (подвиги) during the Second World War.
The corresponding honour for acts of valour that do not qualify as “in the face of the enemy” is the George Cross, which ranks (котируется, занимает место) next after the VC in the table of precedence (по старшинству).

The George Cross (GC) is the highest Commonwealth (Британское Содружество) decoration awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry (за проявленное мужество, отвагу) not in the face of the enemy, while the Victoria Cross is awarded for valour in the face of the enemy. The GC is the highest honour that can be awarded for non-operational gallantry (не во время боевых операций) or to anyone during peacetime (в мирное время), and therefore is the highest decoration normally awardable to civilians (гражданские лица). The GC is worn suspended from a dark blue ribbon threaded through a bar adorned with laurel leaves.

The George Cross. Introduceded by King George VI. (Учрежденный королем Георгом VI крест Святого Георгия.)

Created on September 24, 1940 by King George VI, it is awarded for “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous (очевидное) courage in circumstances of extreme danger.”
Since its inception in 1940, the GC has been awarded posthumously to 84 recipients and 71 living people (excluding the two collective awards to Malta and the Royal Ulster Constabulary – полиции Мальты и Ольстера).
In its history, the GC has been awarded directly to only four women, Odette Sansom, Violette Szabo, and Noor Inayat Khan (who were awarded the George Cross for actions carried out while serving as agents during World War II), and Barbara Harrison, an Air Stewardess, on a BOAC flight (рейс Британской компании трансокеанских воздушных сообщений БОАК) at Heathrow Airport, who died on 8 April 1968 after helping many passengers escape from an onboard fire.
The Military Order of the Saint Grand Martyr and the Triumphant George (also known as Order of St. George the Triumphant, Russian: Военный Орден Св. Великомученика и Победоносца Георгия) is an Imperial Russian and current Russian order of chivalry, originally established in 1769 by Catherine the Great, and revived in 1994 by the Russian Federation. It is awarded in four classes (четырёх степеней), from the First Degree, to the Fourth Degree. The highest Degree is the First Degree. There is also an affiliated medal, the Cross of St. George.

Cross of the Order of St. George First Degree (current): cross, star and ribbon. Established by Catherine the Great.

The decoration of the Order of St. George has to be worn according to its precedence (i.e. higher than any other decoration other than the Order of St. Andrew). The Order is composed of three insignia (знаки различия):
Cross: A white enamelled cross pattée with a central disc bearing the image of St. George on horseback slaying the dragon. Worn on a sash (на плечевой ленте) by the first degree (первой степени), on a necklet (на шейной ленте) by the second and third degrees, and on a chest ribbon (в петлице) by the fourth degree.
Star: A four-pointed gold star with the crowned cipher (вензель, монограмма) of St. George at the centre surrounded by the motto of the order “For Service and Bravery” (“Za Sluzhbu i Khrabrost”). Worn on the left chest by the first and second degrees.
Ribbon: orange with three black stripes, commonly called the “Georgian Ribbon”. It symbolises fire and gunpowder: the Russian “colors of military glory”, and is also thought to be derived from the colours of the original Russian imperial coat of arms (black eagle on a golden background). It was subsequently associated to the colors of the Russian Guard units (гвардейские подразделения). The ribbon bar repeats the pattern of the grand ribbon (парадная лента), with a miniature cross on the middle black stripe for the first three degrees (white enamelled for the 3rd, silver for the 2nd and gold for the 1st).

The Ribbon of St. George (Russian: георгиевская лента) constitutes one of the most recognised and respected symbols of military valour in modern Russia. It is widely associated with the commemoration of World War II and especially with the units who were awarded the collective Guard battle honours during the conflict. The ribbon consists of a bicolour black and orange pattern, with three black and two orange stripes. Its origins may be traced back to the Russian Empire.

The pattern of the Georgian ribbon is thought to symbolise fire and gunpowder.

While the Order of St. George was normally not a collective award, the ribbon was sometimes granted to regiments and units that performed brilliantly during wartime and constituted an integral part of some collective battle honours (such as banners and pennants). When not awarded the full Order, some distinguished officers were granted ceremonial swords, adorned with the Georgian ribbon. In 1806, distinctive Georgian banners were introduced as a further battle honour awarded to meritorious Guards and Leib Guard regiments. The pike (древко) on which these flags were mounted was topped by the St. George Cross and adorned with 4,44 cm wide Georgian ribbons. It remained the highest collective military award in the Russian military until the Revolution in 1917.

The Cross of St. George, or simply the George’s Cross (солдатский Георгиевский крест), was, until 1913, officially known as the Sign of Distinction of the Military Order of St. George. In 1856 it was split into four degrees. A person initially received the fourth degree, and would subsequently be promoted to higher degrees for further acts of bravery; one who received all four degrees was called polniy Georgievskiy kavaler (full Cavalier of St. George).
The Cross of St. George was abolished after the Russian Revolution, but was re-established on August 8, 2000 by the President of the Russian Federation. Moreover, during the Soviet times there was an equivalent decoration known as the Order of Glory.

Modern sign of Order of St. George, First Rank (Современный орден Святого Георгия первой степени. Вручается офицерам)

Pre-revolutionary sign of Order of St. George, First Rank (Дореволюционный солдатский Георгиевский крест первой степени)

The Order of St. George, a Russian military award, should not be confused with the George Cross, a British award primarily for civilian bravery!

There is also a difference between two Russian awards: the Military Order of St.George, which is awarded to officers, and the George’s Cross, which is awarded to soldiers.

Activity A. Word Formation
Complete the sentences by changing the form of the words in parentheses. You can re-read the text for support.
1. There is an ___________(inscribe) “for valour” on the medal. 2. The link ____________(weight) about 0.87 troy ounces. 3. The medal was created to _________(recognition) acts of valour during the Crimean War of 1854 – 1855. 4. The Victoria Cross could not be awarded _____________(posthumous). 5. It was made __________(availability) to all troops in the service of the Crown. 6. The Indonesia-Malaysia __________(confront) was in 1965. 7. Umrao Singh was the last surviving Indian __________(hold) of the VC. 8. The George Cross is the highest Commonwealth
__________(decorate). 9. The GC is worn __________(suspend) from a dark blue ribbon __________(thread) through a bar __________(adorn) with laurel leaves. 10. It is awarded for “acts of the greatest __________(hero) or of the most conspicuous __________(courageous) in circumstances of extreme danger.” 11. She died after __________(help) many passengers escape from an onboard fire. 12. The Order of St. George was normally not a ________(collect) award. 13. Some distinguished officers were granted ________(ceremony) swords. 14. He was promoted to higher degrees for further acts of ________(brave). 15. The George Cross is a British award primarily for _________(civil) bravery!

Key: 1. inscription; 2. weighs; 3. recognise; 4. posthumously; 5. available; 6. confrontation; 7. holder; 8. decoration; 9. suspended, threaded, adorned; 10. heroism; 11. helping; 12. collective; 13. ceremonial; 14. bravery; 15. civilian

Activity B. Using set phrases
Match the two parts of the word expressions, give their Russian equivalents.

Key: Russian Empire – Российская Империя; the Order of Glory – Орден Славы; the Georgian Ribbon – георгиевская лента; suspension bar – подвеска; Gulf War – война в Персидском заливе; full Cavalier – полный кавалер; troy ounce – тройская унция; coat of arms – герб.

Submitted by Irina Ishkhneli,
School No. 1738