The Victoria Cross (VC), born in the carnage of the Crimean War is the highest award available to the armed forces for gallantry in action in the face of the enemy. The medal was originally made from the bronze cannon captured during the Crimean War (1854-1856).
The citation for John Cornwell read " Mortally wounded early in the action, Boy, First Class, John Travers Cornwell remained standing alone at a most exposed post, continuing to service his gun, until the end of the action, with the gun's crew dead and wounded all round him. His age was under sixteen".
John was a keen scout in his home town and in his honour the Boy Scout Association instituted the Cornwell Scout Badge, awarded for outstanding acts of courage and endurance in the face of adversity.
There is a personal dimension to this story, for my husband received the badge in 1948 following three years illness in hospital.