The Victoria Cross was instituted on the 29th of January 1856 by Royal Warrant. It was to be presented as the highest award a country could give for conspicuous gallantry and acts of courage to Officers and Men, of Her Majesty's Forces alike, with no distinction.
Later Warrants extended the honour to be awarded to Civilians and Colonial Troops acting in the service of the Sovereign.
The first presentation of the Victoria Cross was made at an Investiture held on Hyde Park on Friday the 26th of June 1857. The Ribbon on the Naval VC being Blue, and the Army's being Crimson. (Later, all VC Ribbons would be Crimson.)
The first presentation was to 62 men and they were presented in order of the Services. The Senior Service, the Royal Navy, including the Naval Brigade, Royal Marines, followed by the various Regiments of the Army. The individual order of the Presentation is as follows.

ROYAL NAVY
Commander Henry James RABY RN (Naval Brigade)
Commander John BYTHESEA. RN.
Commander Hugh Talbot BURGOYNE. RN.
Lieutenant Charles Davis LUCAS. RN. (THE FIRST PERSON TO ACTUALLY WIN THE VC.)
Lieutenant William Nathan Wrighte HEWETT. RN. (Naval Brigade)
Gunner John ROBARTS RN.
Boatswain Joseph KELLAWAY. RN.
Boatswain Henry COOPER. RN.
Seaman Joseph TREWAVAS. RN.
Seaman Thomas REEVES. RN. (Naval Brigade).
Boatswain's Mate Henry CURTIS. RN. (Naval Brigade).
Captain of the Mast George INGOUVILLE. RN.

ROYAL MARINES.
Lieutenant George Dare DOWELL. RM Artillery
Bombardier Thomas WILKINSON. RM Artillery.

BRITISH ARMY REGIMENTS
Sergeant-Major John GRIEVE 2nd Dragoons. (Scot's Greys).
Private Samuel PARKES 4th Dragoons. (Queen's Own).
Lieutenant Alexander Robert DUNN. 11th Hussars (Prince Albert's Own).
Troop Sergeant-Major John BERRYMAN 17th Lancers
Colonel Collingwood DICKSON Royal Artillery.
Captain Andrew HENRY. Royal Artillery.
Captain Gronow DAVIS Royal Artillery.
Sergeant Daniel CAMBRIDGE Royal Artillery
Gunner & Driver Thomas ARTHUR* Royal Artillery *(Real name McARTHUR).
Lieutenant Gerald GRAHAM. Royal Engineers.
Corporal John ROSS. Royal Engineers.
Corporal William James LENDRIM* Royal Engineers. *(or LENDRUM)
Sapper John PERIE. Royal Engineers.
Colonel Henry Hugh Manvers PERCY. Grenadier Guards.
Brev/Major Sir Charles RUSSELL. Grenadier Guards.
Sergeant Alfred ABLETT. Grenadier Guards.
Private Anthony PALMER Grenadier Guards.
Brev/Major Gerald L.GOODLAKE Coldstream Guards.
Brev/Major john Augustus CONOLLY Coldstream Guards.
Private George STRONG. Coldstream Guards.
Brev/Major Robert James LINDSAY Scots Fusilier Guards.
Sergeeant James McKECHNIE. Scots Fusilier Guards.
Private William REYNOLDS. Scots Fusilier Guards.
Private Thomas GRADY 4th Regiment (King's Own).
Lieutenant William HOPE. 7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
Asst.Surgeon Thos. Egerton HALE 7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
Private Matthew HUGHES. 7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
Private William NORMAN. 7th Regiment (Royal Fusiliers).
Ensign Andrew MOYNIHAN 90th Regiment (Light Infantry).
Private Samuel EVANS. 19th Regiment. (Yorkshire Regt.)
Private John LYONS. 19th Regiment. (Yorkshire Regt.).
Lieutenant Luke O'CONNOR. 23rd Regiment.(Royal Welch Fusiliers)
Corporal Robert SHIELDS. 23rd Regiment (Royal Welch Fusiliers)
Private William COFFEY. 34th Regiment (Border Regiment).
Private John Joseph SIMS. 34th Regiment (Border Regiment).
Sergeant William McWHEENEY 44th Regiment (Essex Regiment).
Sergeant George WALTERS. 49th Regiment (Princess Charlotte's of Wales).
Corporal James OWENS. 49th Regiment (Princess Charlotte's of Wales).
Brev/Major Charles LUMLEY. 97th Regiment (Royal West Kents)
Sergeant John COLEMAN. 97th Regiment (Royal West Kents)
Brev/Major Hon.Henry H.CLIFFORD. The Rifle Brigade
Private Francis WHEATLEY. The Rifle Brigade
Captain William J.M.CUNINGHAME. The Rifle Brigade
Lieutenant John Simpson KNOX*. The Rifle Brigade
Private Roderick McGREGOR The Rifle Brigade
Private Robert HUMPSTON The Rifle Brigade
Private Joseph BRADSHAW. The Rifle Brigade.
Brev/Major Claude Thomas BOURCHIER. The Rifle Brigade

*Previously a Sergeant in the Scots Fusilier Guards.

The ranks stated above are the ones held, after promotions, at the time of the Investiture, not at the date the Victoria Cross was awarded.

The later names of the Regiments ie. 24th Regiment later the South Wales Borderers can be checked in the The Register of the Victoria Cross published by This England
Updated 23. 05.02.