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Date	Original Topic
7th December 2001	Inauguration date. By A.J.Askin Not being clever just trying to put things right.. Actual date of inauguration was by Royal Warrant on 29th January 1856. Otherwise excellent web-site.
Date	Replies
7th December 2001	Peter Critchley Hi there! The Royal Warrant instituting the Victoria Cross was signed by Queen Victoria on 29th January 1856 (published in the London Gazette 5th February 1856). No awards for the VC were gazetted for just over a year after the Warrant was signed. The first awards were announced in the London Gazette 24th February 1857 and on 26th June 1857, in Hyde Park, Queen Victoria invested 62 of the 11 Crimea recipients. The first VC winner (by the date of his action, not necessarily approval) was Mate Charles Davies LUCAS Royal Navy of HMS Hecla - date of deed 21 June 1854. Well spotted - you are the first to find our deliberate error! All the best, Peter