Last week I was working in MOD Donnington near Telford and was very priviliged to get shown around the display room full of weapons that also contains the big chunk of metal from a Crimean war cannon that is used to make Victoria Cross medals. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take a photo but a picture of it can be seen in this link http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/10/where-do-vcs-come-from/ Here is another article relating to the topic http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1506463/Author-explodes-myth-of-the-gunmetal-VC.html
It's obviously changed since Jeremy Clarkson did the VC documentary on his Father in Law. The piece of metal was kept locked in it's own safe, with an individual alarm and CCTV camera.
I seem to recall reading something to the effect that the Bronze Canon source material was running low and the MOD were looking at alternative sources. Regards Tom
According to Adams link, the chunk of metal on public display is a replica and the original is under close guard on the same site. That really could be a good game of eeny meeny miny mo......
I was probably allowed in because I was in uniform. It might be different for civilians. There were about eight of us (Navy) in total and we still had to go through security and were searched with metal detectors when we left. It definitely was no replica and is exactly the same as the one shown in the photo in the link. It's not held in a safe but it is in a secure room with a large variety of weapons used by British forces and police etc.....including GPMG's, Minimi's, SA80's, MP5's, .50 Cal, Grenade launchers, auto shotguns...the works. I was like a kid in a sweet shop! It's not the same place as the link posted by Von Poop. The room I visited was only about 4 meters square and all the weapons were laid out on a sideboard for us to 'play' with
Interesting article about the metal used for VC's published in the Guardian: Show your mettle: Victoria Cross not made of captured Russian guns after all
A Hancock's & Co. official VC specimen medal has sold today 15/10/2020) at the auction house DNW for £24,000. The specimen is thought to have been struck some time between 1940 and 1950. The pre-sale estimate was £3000-4000.
