1881: During an action with Boers, Lance Corporal Farmer, a medical orderly, stood exposed to enemy fire, holding a white flag over a group of wounded men, in an effort to spare them further attack. The Boers kept up their fire, and Farmer was badly wounded in the arm holding in the flag. However, he rose again to his feet, and continued to hold high the flag with his other arm, until he was shot in that limb as well. His efforts to protect the men, at great personal risk, was recognised with the award of the Victoria Cross.

1900: Nineteen years later, during the Boer War, troops from the West Yorkshire Regiment attacked up the northern slope of Terrace Hill, near Tugela in Natal. Their advance was met with a barrage of fire, and faltered. Captain Mansel-Jones braved the enemy fire to remuster his men, and, despite suffering a very serious wound, led them once more up the hill in a charge which took the Boer position. He received the Victoria Cross.

1942: As the Japanese advance rapidly spread throughout the Dutch East Indies, the Dutch Rear-Admiral Karel Doorman led out a force of Dutch, British, Australian and US cruisers and destroyers in a desperate effort to locate an invasion convoy en route to Java. The Japanese fleet enjoyed superior firepower, and, crucially, the benefit of spotting aircraft. The largest surface action since the battle of Jutland commenced at 1600, and the Japanese advantage in numbers of heavy guns, plus their incomparable torpedoes, soon showed, with Doorman's flagship De Ruyter and HMS Exeter suffering damage, and the destroyer Kortenaer sunk. Commander May in the destroyer HMS Electra mounted a gallant but suicidal attack which succeeded in saving HMS Exeter. As night fell, HMS Jupiter blew up on hitting a stray mine, and the Japanese crowned their victory with a night torpedo attack that claimed the Dutch cruisers De Ruyter and Java. Doorman was lost with his flagship.

Meanwhile in France, the newly formed Parachute Regiment mounted a daring raid on a German radar station on the cliff tops at Bruneval, near Le Havre. Intelligence had identified the location as one of an increasing number of radar sites in Occupied Europe, but important technical details of the equipment's capabilities were needed to develop counter-measures, especially for Bomber Command aircraft. Major John Frost, commanding C Company of the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, was tasked with capturing the station and bringing back to the UK key parts of the Wurzburg radar set. His 120 men were accompanied by an RAF Flight Sergeant radar technician, who had never parachuted before, to inspect the radar in situ, and a team of Royal Engineers. Frost named his three assault groups Drake, Rodney and Nelson, in recognition of the force's dependence on the Royal Navy to retrieve them from the beaches that night.

Twelve RAF Whitley bombers from 51 Squadron RAF dropped Frost's men accurately on the cliff tops. Although caught totally by surprise, German troops in the area fought back. However, the Wurzburg was captured, along with one of its operators, and Flight Sergeant Cox identified the essential parts of the radar to be carried down to the waiting landing craft. The raid provided invaluable intelligence on the Wurzburg system, a specialised precision radar system for controlling anti-aircraft guns, searchlights and night-fighters.

To this day, one of the sub-units of the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, is named Bruneval Company.