List of Australian George Cross recipients

Memorial to Australian recipients of the George Cross, George Cross Park, Canberra.

The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration for heroism in the United Kingdom, a status it also holds, or has held, in several countries comprising the Commonwealth of Nations. The George Cross (Post-nominal letters "GC") is regarded as the civilian counterpart of the Victoria Cross, and is awarded to civilians for "acts of the greatest heroism" or to military personnel for actions that are not "in the face of the enemy" or for which purely military honours would not normally be granted. In an official radio broadcast on 23 September 1940, King George VI announced his decision to establish the awards of the George Cross and George Medal to recognise individual acts of bravery by the civilian population. The Royal Warrant that established the awards was published in the London Gazette on 31 January 1941. Australians received the GC under the Imperial Honours System until the establishment of the Australian Honours System in 1975, although Australians continued to receive Imperial awards until the late 1980s. The GC was replaced by a new award, the Cross of Valour, which was created by letters patent within the Commonwealth of Australia and its Territories on 14 February 1975. One further award of the GC, however, was granted after this date to Constable Michael Kenneth Pratt in 1978.

Between the first award of the George Cross to an Australian in 1942 and the final bestowal in 1978, 14 Australians were decorated with the medal. Of these, nine were awarded to military personnel and five to civilians; eight of the medals were awarded posthumously. At the time of the institution of the GC, living recipients of the Empire Gallantry Medal automatically became recipients of the new award, and were required to return their previous medal; two Australians became GC holders through this method. In 1971, the British Government announced that living recipients of the Albert Medal and Edward Medal would be invited to exchange their medals for the George Cross, and henceforth formally become recipients of the latter award. The decision for such an action was the result of the decline in the status and significance of the two awards, leading recipients to feel they were not receiving the recognition they were due. Of the 27 Australian holders of the Albert Medal, 6 were living at the time and all opted to exchange their insignia for the GC. None of the eight Australians awarded the Edward Medal were alive in 1971, and thus no Australian became a recipient of the GC through this exchange. Including exchange awards, a total of 22 Australians have been decorated with the George Cross.

Recipients

The George Cross

      This along with the * (asterisk) indicates that the George Cross was awarded posthumously.
      This along with the ^ indicates that the George Cross was awarded to military personnel for actions "not in the face of the enemy".

George Cross

Name	Date of action	Organisation	Summary of action(s)	Notes
Bailey, EricEric Bailey	1945-01-1212 January 1945*	New South Wales Police Force	Apprehended a suspect while mortally wounded
Donoghue, RaymondRaymond Donoghue	1960-04-2929 April 1960*	Metropolitan Tram Trust	Attempting to regain control of tram during accident
Emanuel, ErrolErrol Emanuel	1969-07-01July 1969 – August 1971*	District Commissioner, Territory of Papua New Guinea	Resolving factional conflicts and restoring local government in Papua New Guinea
Goldsworthy, LeonLeon Goldsworthy^	1943-06-1212 June 1943 – 10 April 1944	Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War
Gosse, GeorgeGeorge Gosse^	1945-05-088–19 May 1945	Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War
Hardy, BenjaminBenjamin Hardy^	1944-08-055 August 1944*	Citizens Military Force	Gallantry during Cowra breakout
Jones, RalphRalph Jones^	1944-08-055 August 1944*	Citizens Military Force	Gallantry during Cowra breakout
Madden, HoraceHorace Madden^	1951-04-2424 April 1951 – 6 November 1951*	Australian Army	Fortitude while a prisoner of war, Korean War
Matthews, LionelLionel Matthews^	1942-08-01August 1942 – March 1944*	Second Australian Imperial Force	Fortitude while a prisoner of war, Second World War
Mould, JohnJohn Mould^	1941-11-1414 November 1941 – 30 June 1942	Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War
Pratt, MichaelMichael Pratt	1976-06-044 June 1976	Victoria Police Force	Intervention in an armed robbery
Rogers, JonathanJonathan Rogers^	1964-02-1010 February 1964*	Royal Australian Navy	Gallantry during Melbourne-Voyager collision
Syme, HughHugh Syme^	1941-05-1919 May 1941 – 25 December 1942	Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve	Mine recovery and defusion, Second World War
Taylor, GeorgeGeorge Taylor	1951-01-01January–March 1951	Commonwealth Bureau of Mineral Resources	Gallantry during eruption of Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea

Empire Gallantry Medal and Albert Medal exchanges

EGM = This indicates a recipient of the Empire Gallantry Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross.
AM = This indicates a recipient of the Albert Medal who exchanged the award for the George Cross.

Name	Date of action	Organisation	Summary of action(s)	Notes
Bagot, ArthurArthur Bagot^	1918-05-1212 April 1918	Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve	Gallantry during engine room explosion on HM Motor Launch 356	AM
Chalmers, JackJack Chalmers	1922-02-044 February 1922	North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club	Rescue of swimmer during shark attack	AM
Gibbs, StanleyStanley Gibbs	1927-01-033 January 1927	Civilian	Rescue of swimmer during shark attack	AM
Kavanaugh, RobertRobert Kavanaugh	1929-01-1919 January 1929	Civilian	Rescue of swimmer during shark attack	AM
March, FrederickFrederick March	1924-11-1919 November 1924	Chauffeur to Governor-General of Sudan	Gallantry during assassination of the Governor-General of Sudan	EGM
McAloney, WilliamWilliam McAloney^	1937-08-3131 August 1937	Royal Australian Air Force	Attempted rescue of an officer trapped in a burning aircraft	AM
Richards, RichardRichard Richards	1915-10-099 October 1915 – 19 March 1916	Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition	Gallantry during Trans-Antarctic Expedition	AM
Taylor, PatrickPatrick Taylor	1935-05-1515 May 1935	Australia-New Zealand airmail flight	Gallantry during flight when the aircraft's starboard engine failed	EGM

Notes

References

• Macklin, Robert (2008). Bravest: How Some of Australia's Greatest War Heroes Won Their Medals. Crows Nest, New South Wales, Australia: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 978-1-74114-882-4. 
• Staunton, Anthony (2005). Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles they Fought. Prahran, Victoria, Australia: Hardie Grant Books. ISBN 1-74066-288-1.