As Hertfordshire joins the nation in marking Remembrance Sunday, it is a fitting time to remember the county's own heroes who displayed extraordinary courage in the face of enemy fire.
From the battlefields of the Boer War to the trenches of the First World War, a handful of men from our county earned the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry.
These are the remarkable stories of just some of the Hertfordshire men to win a VC.
Alfred Alexander Burt
Alfred Alexander Burt was born in Hertford and served with the Hertfordshire Regiment during the First World War.
On September 27, 1915, he was at Cuinchy in France when a live German trench mortar bomb landed among soldiers in a crowded trench.
Burt rushed towards the bomb and removed its burning fuse before throwing it clear. His actions saved the lives of many comrades.
The act exposed him to almost certain death, but his quick thinking and courage earned him the Victoria Cross.
Burt survived the war and later built a civilian life in the insurance industry. He died in 1951, aged 56.
Arthur Martin-Leake
Arthur Martin-Leake holds a unique place in British military history as one of only three men to receive the Victoria Cross twice.
Born in High Cross near Ware, his first award came during the Second Boer War in 1902, when he repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while treating and rescuing wounded soldiers.
More than ten years later, Martin-Leake received a Bar to his Victoria Cross during the First World War. Near Zonnebeke in Belgium, he spent days attending to wounded men under relentless enemy fire.
After the war, he largely avoided publicity. He was known locally as a modest and respected man.
Martin-Leake died in 1953, aged 79. He was buried in the churchyard at St John the Baptist Church in High Cross.
Frank Edward Young
Frank Edward Young was born in India but grew up in Hitchin. He joined the Hertfordshire Regiment as a boy bugler and later worked at the town's power station.
During the First World War, he became a second lieutenant and in September 1918, he led his company during fierce fighting near Havrincourt in France.
Young rescued captured comrades, silenced an enemy machine gun, drove back attacking troops and continued fighting for four hours under intense fire.
He was last seen taking part in hand-to-hand combat, and Young was killed in action aged 22.
His Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously, recognising his bravery and leadership during the fighting.
James Osborne
James Osborne, who was born in Wigginton near Tring, received the Victoria Cross for his actions during the First Boer War.
On February 22, 1881, at Wesselstroom in South Africa, Osborne repeatedly crossed exposed ground under heavy enemy fire to help rescue wounded comrades.
He was serving with the 58th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot. Despite the danger, he continued helping those who had been injured.
Osborne died in 1928, aged 70, and his medal was later destroyed during the 1941 Blitz of Belfast.
Christopher Augustus Cox
Christopher Augustus Cox was born in Kings Langley and received the Victoria Cross for his actions during the First World War.
On March 13, 1917, he was near Achiet-le-Grand in France as part of a bombing party tasked with clearing German positions.
When enemy resistance threatened to stop the advance, Cox pressed forward under heavy fire. He helped capture a strongly defended trench and several prisoners.
His brave and courageous actions that day earned him the Victoria Cross.
Cox survived the war and returned quietly to civilian life. He died in 1959, aged 70, and was buried in St Mary’s Churchyard in Kings Langley.
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