First person to receive the Victoria Cross from
Queen Elizabeth II. He won the Victoria Cross on November 4, 1951 in Korea, when, on his own initiative, then-Private Speakman collected six men and a pile of grenades and led a series of charges to hold off the enemy long enough to enable his company to withdraw safely. Due to economic hardship, Speakman sold his original VC, but later got a replacement. Speakman gave the replica and other medals to the people of South Korea during a ceremony held in Seoul on April 21, 2015 for visiting veterans of the Korean War.