For Valour

Aaron Pegram is a senior historian in the Military History Section at the Australian War Memorial. He is an authority on the First World War and has worked on a number of major exhibitions, been the tour leader and historical guide for battlefield tours to the Western Front, and published widely on Australian military history. He has a BA (Hons) from Charles Sturt University and a PhD from the Australian National University.Craig Blanch, an Honours graduate from Wollongong University, is a curator at the Australian War Memorial, and one of the organisation’s foremost authorities on the Victoria Cross. He worked on the redevelopment of the Hall of Valour in 2010 and works closely with the Memorial’s Victoria Cross collection.

‘For Valour commemorates the extraordinary actions and characterthat the Victoria Cross honours. Vital leadership in times of mortal danger. Rescuing comrades at the risk of one’s own life. Standing fast against overwhelming odds.It is right that we recognise these transcendent human qualities; that we draw courage and inspiration from them; that they are our touchstones and our source of eternal hope.’ — Dame Quentin Bryce