1858: During an Indian Mutiny action against rebels at Azumgarh, Private Carlin went to the aid of a loyal Indian NCO who had been wounded. As he carried him on his back, they were attacked by a mutineer, but Carlin managed, despite his burden, to kill the enemy with the wounded man's sword. Sergeant Napier also went to the aid of a wounded man, and stood guard over him, at considerable personal risk, until a break in the fighting allowed him to get the man to safety. Both Carlin and Napier received the Victoria Cross.

1916: In Mesopotamia, Corporal Ware of the Seaforth Highlanders was one of the only men not wounded in a trench when the order was given to withdraw. Rather than leave the casualties to be captured, Ware laboured for two hours under heavy fire to carry each of the men across No Man's Land to safety, collapsing from exhaustion when the last one had been rescued. He received the Victoria Cross.

1941: Knowing full well the risks they were running, a Beaufort torpedo-bomber crew of 22 Squadron, Coastal Command, piloted by Flying Officer Kenneth Campbell, penetrated the inner harbour at Brest in bad weather at extreme low level to attack the German battlecruiser Gneisenau. Under massive anti-aircraft fire, and with little chance of avoiding crashing into the hills behind the harbour, they succeeded in torpedoing Gneisenau before being shot down. All four crew were killed. Their efforts put the battlecruiser into dry dock for repairs for several months, and Campbell was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross in recognition of the crew's gallantry.

1943: Eight Mosquito aircraft of Bomber Command conducted a low-level precision attack on railway workshops at Namur in Belgium. All eight returned safely.

In Tunisia, Lieutenant Colonel Campbell led the 7th Battalion of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders in a night attack through a minefield to take a key Axis position and some 600 prisoners. Heavy counter-attacks followed the following day, and Campbell was wounded, but he organised a masterly defence which held the position. Nearby, Private Anderson, a stretcher-bearer of the East Yorkshire Regiment, went out repeatedly alone under fire to bring in wounded men. Having rescued three, he was killed trying to save a fourth. Both Campbell and Anderson were awarded the Victoria Cross.

1944: At Imphal, Jemadar Abdul Hafiz led a platoon of the 9th Jat Infantry in an assault up a cliff to reach a vital Japanese position. He was hit twice and mortally wounded, but pressed on regardless and led his men in taking the position against great odds before dying. He received a posthumous Victoria Cross.