The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest award for acts of bravery in wartime. Seven VCs were awarded to Australian soldiers in the battle of Lone Pine, out of a total nine for the Gallipoli campaign. This demonstrates the fierce, hand-to-hand combat at Lone Pine. Two VCs were awarded posthumously and three were awarded to soldiers who were involved in the same action.
While the individual acts of bravery cited for the seven VC recipients from Lone Pine demonstrate the courageous character of these Australian soldiers, accounts of other actions indicate the rather arbitrary nature of such awards. Colonel Harold Edward "Pompey" Elliott, whose 7th Battalion received four of the Lone Pine VCs, noted the difficult task of deciding which men had most contributed to the successful defence "where so many had died doing their duty".
