I met Bill Speakman many years ago, like the narrator stated, a very modest man. Plus he had also served in the SAS in the 50's in Malaya. You can see his SAS wings on his right shoulder in the footage here
Wow. SAS in Malayan jungles etc. Wow..that must have been a hardcore deployment, deep in the jungle with tropical wather etc. plus the warfare itself...
Thomas William Gould VC (28 December 1914 - 6 December 2001)] was an English Jew who was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was one of three Jewish recipients of the award in the Second World War.
Sign of the times? VC who knows his place, as a Commissionaire in advancing years after the war...like to think we’d look after the boys a bit better now.
True that. Joe Bent worked at Courages and stayed there till he was 85. The brewery must have told him he had a job there as long as he wanted it, which is something you don't see so much today.
Incredible men and women, we owe them a great debt. I do find it distasteful though that these medals, indeed any gallantry medals, should be bought and sold by rich collectors. Lord Ashcroft I believe has now got the largest collection of VCs yet I don't think he served in any of the armed forces. Contrast that with Bill Speakman who sold his own medal to pay for repairs to his roof!
Anybody else find it somewhat distasteful for other people to buy and sell medals such as this won through individual’s selfless acts courage and valour? If the individuals (or their family/descendants) are no longer alive to hold them, I think they should be held by the nation in respect to those individuals not available for trade the highest bidder.
I would not jump to judge. Medals represent something. Whatever that something is, it's already been engraved into the memory of those who care so at the end of the day medals are only a piece of object to their winners and families. Now the documentary even acknowledges that some of the VC winners were poor. In the ideal world the government should have taken care of them but sadly this isn't the case. If a medal winner should want to sell his medals to sustain his own living, who are we to say he can't or shouldn't? As for those buyers, if they are willing to pay those hefty sums to acquire those medals, I would give them the benefit of the doubt that they knew what those medals are about, they knew the stories behind their winners, and in some ways, care about the preservation of their legacies. And what if it's the winner and their families' will to auction their medals to raise fund for a worthy cause? What if the winner has passed but his family has fallen on hard times? What if it's a local private museum which acquires and collects these items and they might in fact do a better job than the government in telling their winners' stories? What if it's actually the buyer's intent to complete a collected a group of medals relevant to the same campaign to tell a full story of valour? There are many possibilities so who are we to judge.
@@wufongtanwufong5579 Even if you buy it, it hasn't got the buyer's name engraved on it to mislead anyone to think the buyer has earned it does it? And if a medal indeed costs some money this is clearly an indication that both the buyer and seller know precisely that someone else has earned it and has a story behind it and that would be the point of buying and selling it, is it not. Excuse for what precisely then? You think the preservation of history is an excuse now? And as I have said some of these medals have ended up in the hands of buyers precisely because the government has done a poor job in preserving individual histories. Don't confuse which is the cause and which is the effect, and don't confuse ownership and earnership.
why even after so many years.....why Britain calls 1857 War of Independence as mutiny ? Sub Continent was under British occupation and people of India rose against that..... why, who ever challenges their occupation, has to be labelled as Mutineer ????
@@damirblazevic4823 are you out of your mind !! if British labelles you as a mutineer because you challenge their occupation of your country, how would you react ?
@@SajidKhan-mf8ts In that case, I wouldn't give a flying fuck how the British would label me. But the fact remains: it was a mutiny. When regular soldiers refuse to obey orders, kill their officers and set off on a murdering rampage, it's a textbook definition of a mutiny.
@@damirblazevic4823 that shows the level of your mental faculty ! you are not even aware of the truth behind it. better gather facts on the Indian history and then come back unless you are their boot lickers !!
several years ago a VC here in australia was purchased for one million dollars to prevent it going overseas
I met Bill Speakman many years ago, like the narrator stated, a very modest man. Plus he had also served in the SAS in the 50's in Malaya. You can see his SAS wings on his right shoulder in the footage here
Wow. SAS in Malayan jungles etc. Wow..that must have been a hardcore deployment, deep in the jungle with tropical wather etc. plus the warfare itself...
3:51 Bill Speakman, VC. A 6'6" giant of a man. Great to see him parading in his prime with his wings. Legend!
Thomas William Gould VC (28 December 1914 - 6 December 2001)] was an English Jew who was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was one of three Jewish recipients of the award in the Second World War.
All gone now RIP gentleman and lady's.
True. There are only 3 V.C holders in Australia at the moment. All young men, two still serving.
Lest we forget.
Thank you for posting this video.
Sir John Smyth and his 10 Sikhs won the Victoria Cross.
Smyth VC MC, his book Command in War is a classic, he was either taught by, taught alongside or taught all of the Commanding Generals in WW II.
JOHN
Worth a damn sight more than 900 quid now
That is worth £18000 now. Think the last went for £1.5m
This narrative and music seems to be the voice of the 60s...
Excellent film
Sign of the times? VC who knows his place, as a Commissionaire in advancing years after the war...like to think we’d look after the boys a bit better now.
For many, it's better to keep active, keep working doing something that's appreciated.
True that. Joe Bent worked at Courages and stayed there till he was 85. The brewery must have told him he had a job there as long as he wanted it, which is something you don't see so much today.
Incredible men and women, we owe them a great debt. I do find it distasteful though that these medals, indeed any gallantry medals, should be bought and sold by rich collectors. Lord Ashcroft I believe has now got the largest collection of VCs yet I don't think he served in any of the armed forces. Contrast that with Bill Speakman who sold his own medal to pay for repairs to his roof!
One correction for the narrator, Kings Own Scottish Borders, not Black Watch
Aha.
No. He won it while attached to the KOSB from the BW in Korea but later transferred to the KOSB after thev war.
Cool...
That British Sgt still serving had to be saluted by every other person in the British Army.
A common misconception. It has become a convention but is mentioned in no official document, QRs included.
shamefull should never be sold like this
Anybody else find it somewhat distasteful for other people to buy and sell medals such as this won through individual’s selfless acts courage and valour?
If the individuals (or their family/descendants) are no longer alive to hold them, I think they should be held by the nation in respect to those individuals not available for trade the highest bidder.
I would not jump to judge.
Medals represent something. Whatever that something is, it's already been engraved into the memory of those who care so at the end of the day medals are only a piece of object to their winners and families.
Now the documentary even acknowledges that some of the VC winners were poor. In the ideal world the government should have taken care of them but sadly this isn't the case. If a medal winner should want to sell his medals to sustain his own living, who are we to say he can't or shouldn't?
As for those buyers, if they are willing to pay those hefty sums to acquire those medals, I would give them the benefit of the doubt that they knew what those medals are about, they knew the stories behind their winners, and in some ways, care about the preservation of their legacies.
And what if it's the winner and their families' will to auction their medals to raise fund for a worthy cause?
What if the winner has passed but his family has fallen on hard times?
What if it's a local private museum which acquires and collects these items and they might in fact do a better job than the government in telling their winners' stories?
What if it's actually the buyer's intent to complete a collected a group of medals relevant to the same campaign to tell a full story of valour?
There are many possibilities so who are we to judge.
@@alvindurochermtl No. It's distasteful. If you didn't earn it, you don't own it. There's no excuse.
@@wufongtanwufong5579 Even if you buy it, it hasn't got the buyer's name engraved on it to mislead anyone to think the buyer has earned it does it? And if a medal indeed costs some money this is clearly an indication that both the buyer and seller know precisely that someone else has earned it and has a story behind it and that would be the point of buying and selling it, is it not. Excuse for what precisely then? You think the preservation of history is an excuse now? And as I have said some of these medals have ended up in the hands of buyers precisely because the government has done a poor job in preserving individual histories. Don't confuse which is the cause and which is the effect, and don't confuse ownership and earnership.
For dying or nearly dying you get an ugly, dull-finish, piece of worthless bronze.
I want to buy German Iron Cross
I suggest google Germany.
why even after so many years.....why Britain calls 1857 War of Independence as mutiny ? Sub Continent was under British occupation and people of India rose against that..... why, who ever challenges their occupation, has to be labelled as Mutineer ????
Because it was a mutiny. It's like calling sunlight bright. It's a simple fact.
@@damirblazevic4823 are you out of your mind !! if British labelles you as a mutineer because you challenge their occupation of your country, how would you react ?
@@SajidKhan-mf8ts In that case, I wouldn't give a flying fuck how the British would label me. But the fact remains: it was a mutiny. When regular soldiers refuse to obey orders, kill their officers and set off on a murdering rampage, it's a textbook definition of a mutiny.
@@damirblazevic4823 that shows the level of your mental faculty ! you are not even aware of the truth behind it. better gather facts on the Indian history and then come back unless you are their boot lickers !!
@@SajidKhan-mf8ts And you are aware? You were there in Calcutta in 1857? Yeah, right.