Victoria Cross Heroes Volume II tells the true, action-packed stories behind more than fifty awards of the VC, Britain and the Commonwealth's most prestigious gallantry medal for courage in the face of the enemy. The book will give extraordinary accounts of the bravery behind the newest additions to Lord Ashcroft's VC collection - those decorations purchased in the last decade. It is the follow-up to the best-selling Victoria Cross Heroes, first published in 2006 to mark the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Cross. Courageous soldiers, sailors and airmen will all feature in the new book. Lord Ashcroft, who has had a fascination with bravery since he was a young boy, now owns approaching 200 VCs, by far the largest collection of its kind in the world. The stories will span from the Crimean War, which led to the creation of the VC by Queen Victoria in 1856, to the Second World War. Other major wars that will be covered include the First World War (1914-1918), the Second Boer War (1899-1902) and the Indian Mutiny (1857-1858). The author believes that inspirational brave deeds should be championed and never forgotten.