In a broadcast to the nation in September 1940 King George VI announced the institution of the George Cross - a civilian equivalent of the Victoria Cross awarded to recognize the many acts of supreme gallantry being performed outside of the battlefield. From Thomas Alderson, the first recipient of the medal, who heroically rescued several people from trapped houses during one terrible Blitz night, to Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, who threw himself onto a live grenade in the Helmand province to save the lives of his comrades (and somehow survived), to Barbara Harrison, an air stewardess who died in 1968 after helping many passengers escape from an onboard fire, this book tells the amazing stories of everyone of the George Cross's 159 direct recipients. GEORGE CROSS HEROES pays tribute to the extraordinary courage displayed by so many of the commonwealth's men and women in so many incredible situations over the last 70 years.

About the Author

Lord Ashcroft is an international businessman and philanthropist and a Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party. He is also the founder and Chairman of Trustees of Crimestoppers -- the UK crime fighting charity, www.crimestoppers-uk.org and Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University.