A Royal Marine who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades' lives is to receive the George Cross.
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, in the West Midlands triggered a trip wire in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February.
He immediately dropped to the ground and lay across the grenade, being blown into the air as it went off.
The George Cross is one of the highest decorations that can be awarded for acts of gallantry.
L/Cpl Croucher said: "All I could do in the moment was shout out 'grenade' before diving on top of it."
His bag was crammed with equipment which cushioned the explosion. His three comrades suffered just cuts and bruises while L/Cpl Croucher was thrown in the air. He added: "It was incredible. I escaped with only a nose bleed and a headache."
L/Cpl Croucher, a reservist, is one of 20 living recipients of the award.
Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Jock Stirrup said: "He acted to save his comrades in the most certain knowledge that he would not himself survive.
"His exemplary behaviour and extreme heroism are fully deserving of the nation's highest recognition."
His parents said they had had no idea what had happened to him.
'Might meet Queen'
His mother Margaret Croucher, 55, a teacher in Birmingham, said she got three text messages from him while he was away, one of which read: "Being put forward for a citation, might meet the Queen."
She said: "Obviously I was very intrigued but we didn't get the full story until he got back and we read about it in the papers.
"I am obviously immensely proud but it was a typical act from him. It was not the first time he had put his life at risk."
His father, Richard, 57, described him as a very "lucky man".
L/Cpl Croucher is expected to receive his honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the autumn.
He was deployed to Afghanistan attached to Taunton-based 40 Commando Royal Marines last autumn.
Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Birrell, the unit's commanding officer, said: "This was a magnificent act which absolutely typified the highest traditions of commando service."
A Royal Marine who fell onto a grenade is to receive the DaftBugger Cross.
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, in the West Midlands stupidly triggered a trip wire in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February.
He immediately fell to the ground before realising that there was a grenade where he fell.
The Daftbugger Cross is one of the highest decorations that can be awarded for acts of gross stupidity.
L/Cpl Croucher said: "All I could do in the moment was shout out 'grenade' as I realised I had dived on top of it."
His kitbag was crammed with equipment which cushioned the explosion. His three comrades suffered just cuts and bruises while L/Cpl Croucher was thrown in the air. He added: "It was incredible, what a buzz, far better than any roollercoaster ride. I escaped with only a nose bleed and a headache."
L/Cpl Croucher, a reservist, is one of 20 living recipients of the award.
Chief of the Defence Staff Sir Jock Strap said: "He acted selfishly to deny his comrades in the most certain knowledge that he would enjoy the buzz.
"His behaviour and extreme stupidity are fully deserving of the nation's highest recognition."
His parents said they had had no idea what had happened to him since he went out for a bag of chips 5 months ago.
'Might meet Queen'
His mother Margaret Croucher, 55, a teacher in Birmingham, said she got three text messages from him while he was away, one of which read: "Being put forward for an award, might meet the Queen."
She said: "Obviously I was very intrigued but thought he's just a big Daft Bugger and possible drunk.
"I am obviously immensely proud he is now being recognised for what I have always known.
His father, Richard, 57, described him as a very "lucky bstard".
L/Cpl Croucher is expected to receive his honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the autumn.
Originally posted by adramforallI hope you are joking.
A Royal Marine who fell onto a grenade is to receive the DaftBugger Cross.
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, in the West Midlands stupidly triggered a trip wire in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February.
He immediately fell to the ground before realising that there was a grenade where he fell.
The Daftbugger Cross is on ...[text shortened]... cted to receive his honour from the Queen at Buckingham Palace in the autumn.
Originally posted by weaselid>A Canadian, Sgt.-Maj. John Robert Osborn of the Winnipeg Grenadiers received a Victoria Cross, posthumously, for a similar action in Hong Kong on Dec. 19, 1941.
A Royal Marine who threw himself on a grenade to save his comrades' lives is to receive the George Cross.
Lance Corporal Matthew Croucher, 24, from Solihull, in the West Midlands triggered a trip wire in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, in February.
He immediately dropped to the ground and lay across the grenade, being blown into the air as it went off. ...[text shortened]... t which absolutely typified the highest traditions of commando service."
>Osborn led his company to capture an important hill at the point of bayonet, holding it for several hours against superior Japanese numbers. The postion evetually could not be held and Osborn single-handedly held off the enemy to cover a successful withdrawal while runing a heavy gauntlet of machine gun fire. He assisted in in retrieving stragglers and wounded by exposing himself to heavy fire.
>His company took shelter in a small depression surrounded by the enemy who continuously lobbed grenades into their position. Osborn picked up and threw back each grenade, but one landed in a position where it was impossible to pick up. Shouting a warning to his comrades, he threw himself on the grenade which exploded, killing him instantly.
>His selfless supreme sacrifice and his courageous gallant actions over the course of several hours saved the lives of many men and inspired the entire company, earning him the highest award a soldier can earn, the Victoria Cross, which is currently in the possession of his family. A statue of Osborn today sits in Hong Kong.
>The Victoria Cross can be awarded to any rank "for most conspicuous bravery or daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy." It has been awarded only 1352 times since it was instituted in 1856. The George Cross was instituted in 1941 for acts similar to the Victoria Cross but not in the presence of the enemy.
Here is an act of bravery
Pvt. Joseph Merrell was awarded the medal for his actions on April 18, 1945, near Lohe, Germany. His company was attacking a fortified position on a hill when the Germans opened a galling fire with two heavy machine guns, machine pistols and small arms, taking a heavy toll on the Americans and pinning them down. Merrell took it upon himself to silence the machine guns and launched a one man attack. He ran 100 yards through the concentrated fire of the enemy and killed four Germans armed with machine pistols. As he started for the next objective, his rifle was shattered by a sniper's bullet, leaving him armed with only three hand grenades. Merrell did not hesitate. He zigzagged the 200 yards that separated him from the first machine-gun nest and threw two of his grenades at the position. After the blasts, he rushed the Germans, seized a Luger and killed the crew members who had survived the blasts. He then attacked the second machine-gun nest, 30 yards away. As he crawled toward his objective, he was grievously wounded in the abdomen, but succeeded in killing four Germans in camouflaged foxholes along the way. Throwing his last grenade at the machine gun, he rushed the Germans and finished them off with his Luger. He had just silenced the gun when he was killed instantly by a burst from a machine pistol. His disregard for his own safety had eliminated a dangerous threat to his unit. In the process, he had silenced two enemy machine guns and personally killed 23 German soldiers.
>The stories of VC winners are an amazing tale of heroism at its most extreme, and the medal retains the reputation as the highest gallantry award there is anywhere, Unlike the US Medal of Honor which has been awarded many times for questionable acts and for political reasons (20 Medals of Honor were awarded at Wounded Knee, which in my view permanently sullies its reputation), the VC is, in the words of Edward VIII, "the most democratic and at the same time the most exclusive of all orders of chivalry." Its reputation is unblemished.
>Interestingly, in the Great War, three men who all lived within yards of each nother on the same street in Winnipeg, Canada each won a VC separately. The street was called Pine St., but after the War its name was changed to Valour Rd.
