Medals
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Victoria Cross

Picture of the Victoria Cross medal

The Victoria Cross is the highest decoration for valour awarded to all ranks. There are six Victoria Crosses held in the Museum.

Out of fourteen awarded to members of The Black Watch  One of them was awarded to Sergeant David Finlay, 2nd Battalion, for bravery at Rue du Bois, 9 May 1915 , when he went to the assistance of a wounded comrade and carried him a distance of over 100 yards of fire-swept ground into cover. Sergeant Finlay was born in Fife and enlisted in 1910.

He was later killed in action in Mesopotamia on 21 January 1916 . He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Basra Memorial in Iraq .

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Distinguished Service Order

The Distinguished Service Order is a decoration awarded to officers for outstanding acts of bravery.

One was awarded to Maj T D Ross, 2nd Battalion, for bravery in action in

Burma , 25 March- 17 August 1944 , including an action near Labu in early August when the enemy was pushed back from several positions and finally cleared from its position covering the village after a bayonet charge.
 Picture of the Distinguished Service Order medal

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Military Cross

Picture of the Military Cross medal
The Military Cross is a decoration awarded to officers for gallant and distinguished service in action. Capt M A Kershaw, 1st Battalion, received this decoration for bravery at Medinine, North Africa , 6 March 1943.

His Company held a forward position. At first light, the enemy managed to establish themselves on a hill. Reinforcements were reaching them until a heavy artillery concentration was put down on the hill, after which he put in a local counter-attack capturing 23 prisoners.

He maintained the position throughout the night of 6/7 March.

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Distinguished Conduct Medal

The Distinguished Conduct Medal is a decoration awarded to other ranks. Private David Smart was a volunteer with the 4/5th (Territorial) Battalion.

His “courage, energy and absolute indifference to danger as a stretcher-bearer were most marked. His work was done entirely in front of our line, dressing and carrying in wounded under an intense shell and machine gun barrage. He was wounded.” 

dcm medal

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Military Medal

Military Medal

The Military Medal is a decoration awarded to other ranks for “Bravery in the Field.”

Cpl G Wadsley, 1st Battalion, received the award for escaping while a German Prisoner of War. He was captured on 12 June 1940 , when wounded in the shoulder. He escaped from hospital. His adventures continued. He was arrested three times, once by the French Police and twice by the Spanish Police.

He was released for repatriation on 6 May 1941 . On the voyage home, the ship was diverted to Freetown and he was returned to Gibraltar . He eventually reached Glasgow on 13 July 1941.

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