1757: Bengal had enjoyed a close relationship with the East India Company until the accession of Suraj Dowlah as Nabob in 1756. He turned against the EIC, and infamously imprisoned Company personnel in the "Black Hole of Calcutta", from which only 23 out of 146 were said to have emerged alive.

Robert Clive was dispatched with a tiny British and Indian army against the Nabob. He took Calcutta, captured for good measure the French stronghold of Chandernagore, then met the Nabob in battle at the village of Plessey. Clive had just 1,000 British and 2,000 Indian troops, against the Nabob's 50,000. The Nabob also had French-manned artillery, but he misused these in a fruitless opening bombardment. When Clive's men advanced, most of the Bengali army fled. For the loss of only around 70 men, Clive's victory secured Bengal for the British and drove the French from northern India.

1855: At Sevastopol, Private McCorrie of the 57th Regiment ran to a Russian shell which had landed in a British trench and managed to throw it clear before it exploded. He received the Victoria Cross.

1857: Colour Sergeant Garvin of the 60th Rifles won the Victoria Cross by leading a successful assault on a well-defended building in Delhi from where mutineers were firing on a British artillery battery. In another action around the city, Private McGovern of the 1st Bengal Fusiliers braved artillery fire to rescue a wounded man. He also was awarded the Victoria Cross.

1944: During an attack on a Japanese-held bridge in Burma, a Gurkha rifle section was reduced to just three men. Despite their losses, they made a second attempt, but two of the three fell badly wounded. This left just Tulbahadur Pun. Armed with a Bren Gun, he pressed home the attack alone through intense fire, killing or putting to flight the enemy section and capturing a pair of machine-guns. Close by, Captain Allmand, who had distinguished himself on 11 June leading an assault on another bridge, also single-handedly charged a Japanese machine-gun position, but fell mortally wounded.

Also in the Far East, Corporal Sukanaivalu of the Fijian Regiment rescued two wounded men lying in the open on Bougainville island. However, when he went out to try to reach a third casualty, he was hit by Japanese fire and fell badly wounded, unable to move his legs. Several of his comrades then attempted to rescue him in turn, but suffered casualties. Knowing that they would persist in taking risks to rescue him while he was still alive, Sukanaivalu deliberately dragged himself into full view of the Japanese and was promptly killed by a burst of fire.

Allmand, Tulbahadur Pun and Sukanaivalu were all awarded the Victoria Cross.