1884: Major-General Sir Gerald Graham advanced from Suakin as the situation in Sudan worsened, encountering Mahdist forces at Tamai. A ferocious Mahdist assault succeeded in breaking one of the two British squares, but the other held firm, and eventually prevailed. Private Edwards of the Black Watch won the Victoria Cross for his lone defence of a gun, despite a serious spear wound during a bayonet fight. Lieutenant Marling, serving with the Mounted Infantry, was similarly decorated for saving the life of a wounded soldier at very close range with the enemy.

1892: During an expedition in the Gambia to suppress slavery, troops from the West India Regiment attacked a fortified gate at Toniataba. As a major and twelve men worked to batter down the gate, several muskets suddenly appeared at a row of loopholes only a few feet away. The major's back was turned and in the direct line of fire, but he was saved by Lance Corporal Gordon, who threw himself forward, pushed the officer clear, but took the full blast of the volley himself. Gordon was shot through the lungs, but survived to receive the Victoria Cross. His medal is proudly displayed in the Jamaican Defence Force Museum.

1900: Following the British victory at Paardeberg 18-27 February, Lord Roberts' troops managed to push through Boer delaying actions and took Bloemfontein, capital of the Orange Free State on 13 March. As part of the operation, a cavalry raid behind enemy lines north of the town destroyed a section of railway to hinder Boer efforts at relief. As the raiders headed back towards the British lines, under close pursuit, one of the horses, ridden by a Royal Engineer, failed to climb a very steep bank. Sergeant Engleheart of the 10th Hussars turned back, despite heavy enemy fire, and used his expertise as a horseman to help the sapper and his horse up the slope and away to safety. Engleheart was awarded the Victoria Cross.

1915: The British offensive at Neuve Chapelle was halted, as it became clear that the significant gains achieved on the first day (10 March) would not be repeated - an attack on Aubers failed disastrously - German reinforcements continued to reach the area, artillery ammunition ran short, and casualties rapidly mounted to a total of 7,000 British and 4,200 Indian troops.

1917: An attack by the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment was met by very heavy machine-gun and artillery fire, and ground to a halt in No Man's Land, with the survivors seeking what shelter they could in craters. Private Cox, a stretcher bearer, went out into the barrage, and worked tirelessly to rescue casualties. On four occasions, he managed to carry back wounded men on his own. Once all the wounded from the Bedfordshires had been recovered, he made his way over to a flanking battalion and assisted their medical orderlies in clearing their wounded. He continued in similar fashion for the next two days, and was awarded the Victoria Cross.

1940: The peace treaty ending the (Soviet-Finnish) ‘Winter War’ was signed in Moscow

1941: Glasgow and Clydeside suffered their first major Luftwaffe raid. 236 aircraft dropped 272 tons of high explosive and 59,400 incendiaries. In the shipbuilding town of Clydebank only seven houses were left undamaged, and three-quarters of its population were made homeless. The raid left 1,100 civilians dead and further 1,000 injured.

1944: In Burma, Lieutenant Cairns of the Somerset Light Infantry, but attached to the South Staffordshire Regiment, led his platoon in an attack on a Japanese position on a hill. As they closed the enemy, a Japanese officer attacked Cairns with a sword, severing his left arm. Cairns, however, managed to kill his opponent, then seized the sword and continued to lead the attack, killing several Japanese with it before he collapsed from his wounds. The ferocity of his courage induced the Japanese troops to turn and run - almost unheard of at that stage of the war. Cairns died of his wounds, and was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

The unescorted merchantman Peleus was hit by two torpedoes from U-852 and sank rapidly about 500 miles north of Ascension Island. The U-boat tried to destroy all evidences of the sinking by shooting at debris and rafts from the ship. During this action some survivors were killed and only four men were alive when the U-boat left the area. One of them later died, the remaining three survivors were picked up by the Portuguese SS Alexandre Silva on 20 April and taken to Angola