Heart of a Dragon: VCs of the Welsh Regiments, 1854 1902, The: The VCs of Wales and the Welsh Regiments, 1854-1902 Hardcover – 25 Oct. 2006

The thirty-nine men who appear in this volume (covering the period 1854 1902) are not all Welshmen, but they were either born in Wales, died in Wales, had Welsh parents or gained the Victoria Cross for an action whilst serving with a regiment that is today associated with Wales. Each entry contains full biographical details of the recipient and an analysis of his VC action. In addition, biographical details of a further nine men who have a more tenuous link with the principality are included in the appendices. Amongst the men included here are the earliest award to a soldier (O Connor), the first man to be decorated with the Victoria Cross (Raby), possibly the first man to be nominated twice for the award (Rowlands), the famed defenders of Rorke s Drift, the controversial awards for an action in the Andaman Islands and the last man to be decorated by Queen Victoria (Ward).Well illustrated with over 400 photographs, prints, drawings and documents.