1858: During the Indian Mutiny, Lieutenant Cameron led an attack on a house defended by rebels. There was only one doorway, and Cameron forced his way through, losing half of a hand to a sword blow. Despite his injury, he killed three opponents and the men following him succeeded in clearing the house of defenders. Cameron received the Victoria Cross.

1864: Some fifty Maoris succeeded in ambushing Lieutenant Colonel McNeill and a private as they rode ahead of a British column during the Third New Zealand War. As the two men turned to escape, the private fell from his horse. McNeill caught the errant horse, and calmly held it steady, helping the soldier regain the saddle. Then as the Maoris reached them, they spurred away to safety. McNeill received the Victoria Cross.

1896: During the Matabeleland Rebellion, two troopers of the Bulawayo Field Force were cut off on patrol and left behind. The horse of one had been killed by a shot that had also wounded the trooper in the knee. However, his comrade, Trooper Henderson, put the casualty on his own horse, then walking led them back for 35 miles, for two days and a night, through rebel territory to reach the safety of Bulawayo. Henderson received the Victoria Cross.

1912: Captain Scott and his last two surviving companions are believed to have died during the ill-fated Antarctic Expedition. His last diary entry was the preceding day. Their bodies were recovered seven months later.

1918: Over Italy, three Royal Flying Corps aircraft attacked a formation of five enemy aircraft. Lieutenant Jerrard shot one down, then proceeded to strafe an airfield, destroying another aircraft taking off. He then turned back to assist his comrades, and scored a third victory. He was then forced to withdraw, attacked by five enemy, which finally forced him to crash-land. Jerrard received the Victoria Cross for his spectacular success.

In France, Lieutenant Flowerdew led a squadron of the Canadian cavalry regiment Lord Strathcona's Horse in an attack on a strong enemy position. Flowerdew dismounted half the squadron to provide covering fire, then led the remainder in a mounted charge against machine-guns. The Canadians lost nearly three-quarters of their men, including Flowerdew, but succeeded in over-running the enemy position. Flowerdew was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

1944: 95 bombers were lost out of 795 during a raid on Nuremberg - the worst casualties in a single night suffered by Bomber Command during the Second World War. The raid itself was a failure: thick cloud obscured the target and heavy cross-winds prevented the Pathfinders from marking it accurately, so that most bombs fell to the north and east of the city.

The German fighter controller refused to be distracted by diversionary efforts, and, by the light of the full moon, German night-fighters took a heavy toll of the bombers.

A Halifax of 578 Squadron, piloted by Pilot Officer Barton, was badly damaged by one night-fighter, and three crewmen baled out. However, Barton pressed on to the target, then attempted to find his way home, without a navigator. The strong winds blew the aircraft up the East Coast, but they eventually made land at Sunderland. Barton crash-landed the aircraft: his three remaining crew members all survived uninjured, but he was killed. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross