Britannica
Sources used in this answer
When could the Victoria Cross first be awarded posthumously?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
medal
Pierre and Marie Curie depicted on the obverse of a medal from the Unio Internationalis Contra Cancrum (International Union Against Cancer) commemorating the Curies' discovery of radium in 1898.
The Victoria Cross, the highest British decoration for valour, was first authorized to be awarded posthumously in 1902 by King Edward VII. Since that decree, the medal has frequently been bestowed upon individuals after their deaths for acts of extreme bravery in the face of the enemy.1