Medals of Captain Albert Jacka VC MC and Bar, 14th Battalion, AIF

Medals awarded to Captain Albert Jacka VC MC and Bar for bravery and service during World War I. The Victoria Cross, on the left, takes precedence and is worn before all other medals. Next, among Jacka’s medals, is the Military Cross. The Cross was instituted in December 1915 for commissioned officers of the rank of captain or below in the armies of the British Empire and Dominions ‘for distinguished and meritorious services in battle on land’. Subsequent awards of the same medal are referred to as ‘bars’. Jacka gained his first MC for his actions at Pozières, France, on 7 August 1916 and a bar to his MC for his bravery at Bullecourt, France on 8 April 1917. More than 37,000 Military Crosses were awarded in World War I, 3,000 second award bars, 170 third award bars and four fourth award bars. Jacka’s other medals are (from left to right) the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Jacka’s medals are on display in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial.

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