A soldier and sailor who received the top honour

The Romans knew the value of public honour and had a system whereby legionaries who had showed conspicuous bravery in the field of battle were awarded a badge to display on their uniforms.

Curiously, Britain had no official medal system at all for its soldiers until as late as 1815, when a military division for the Order of the Bath was instituted to give some recognition to the military, though it was more an award for distinguished service or long service than bravery.