References & Sources

Alf worked from around 250 books, thousands of newspaper cuttings, the Admiralty Library and The National Archives. The family still has his books. This page records the main sources behind the site, both his and ours.

Books Alf used

From the reference list he kept on the original site (last updated May 2003), tidied for spelling. Titles are listed with author and publisher as he recorded them.

  1. The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England Books, 1997) — the basis of Alf's numbering
  2. The Victoria Cross 1856–1920, edited by Sir O'Moore Creagh VC and E. M. Humphris (J. B. Hayward & Son, Polstead)
  3. The Evolution of the Victoria Cross, M. J. Crook (Midas Books)
  4. The Book of the VC, A. L. Haydon (Andrew Melrose, London)
  5. For Valour, John Percival (Methuen / Thames Television)
  6. For Conspicuous Gallantry, Nigel McCrery (J. H. Hall & Sons, Derby)
  7. Deeds of Valour, James W. Bancroft (House of Heroes, Eccles)
  8. British VCs of World War Two, John Laffin (Sutton Publishing)
  9. The Victoria Cross at Sea, John Winton (Michael Joseph, London)
  10. VCs of the Air, John Frayn Turner (George G. Harrap)
  11. Victoria Cross — WWI Airmen and their Aircraft, Alex Revell
  12. The Royal Marines Victoria Crosses, compiled by John Little (Royal Marines Museum, Southsea)
  13. The Blocking of Zeebrugge, Captain Alfred Carpenter VC RN
  14. The Greatest Raid of All, C. E. Lucas Phillips (Pan Books)
  15. Cheshire VC, Russell Braddon (Evans Bros, London)
  16. Captain Ball VC of the Royal Flying Corps, Walter A. Briscoe and H. Russell Stannard (Herbert Jenkins)
  17. From Midshipman to Field Marshal, Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood VC (Methuen)
  18. Heroes of the Crimea, Michael Barthorp (Blandford)
  19. The Great Boer War, Byron Farwell (Wordsworth Editions)
  20. Zulu Kings, Brian Roberts (Sphere Books)
  21. The Gurkhas, Byron Farwell (Allen Lane / Penguin)
  22. The Fighting Marines, Patrick Cringle (Evans Bros, London)
  23. The Royal Marines: From Soldiers to a Special Force, Julian Thompson (Pan Books)
  24. The Paras, John Parker (Metro Books)
  25. This is the SAS, Tony Geraghty (Arms and Armour Press)
  26. I Counted Them All Back, Brian Hanrahan and Robert Fox (BBC Publications)
  27. Thin Yellow Line, William Moore (Wordsworth Editions)
  28. Forgotten Voices of the Great War, Max Arthur (Ebury Press)
  29. The Great War, John Terraine (Wordsworth Editions)
  30. First World War, Martin Gilbert (HarperCollins)
  31. Dictionary of World War I, Ian V. Hogg (Brockhampton Press)
  32. World War I: A Visual Encyclopedia, edited by Simon Forty (PRC Publishing)
  33. The Battle Book, Bryan Perrett (Brockhampton Books)
  34. Under the Guns of the Red Baron, Norman Franks, Hal Giblin and Nigel McCrery (Grub Street)
  35. Allied Combat Medals of World War 2, Christopher Ailsby (Patrick Stephens)
  36. Ships of the Victorian Navy, Conrad Dixon (Ashford Press)
  37. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I (Jane's Publishing)
  38. British Merchant Ships Sunk by U-Boats in the 1914–18 War, A. J. Tennent (Starling Press)
  39. Short History of the Royal Navy, A. Cecil Hampshire
  40. Late Victorian Britain, J. F. C. Harrison (Fontana Press)
  41. T. E. Lawrence, Peter Brent (Book Club Associates)
  42. Britain's Wonderful Fighting Forces (Odhams Press)
  43. Air Battles (Golden Hands Books); Ships, Brian Benson (Macdonald)
  44. This England magazine

Archives and official records

Sources used in the 2026 rebuild

Awards made since 2005, current statistics and the places-to-visit information were compiled in October 2026 from the organisations' own websites and these reference sites:

If you spot an error, please check the primary source above; we are unable to respond to correspondence.