On this day...... 12 September

1814: After the successful raid on Washington in August, Major General Ross attempted to follow-up with an attack on Baltimore on 12 September.  Ross was killed in action outside the city.  The bombardment of Fort McHenry followed the next day.

1917: In Belgium, a small detachment of Irish Guards were finally forced to retreat, having held out for 96 hours without support.  Lance-Sergeant Moyney and Private Woodcock stayed behind to cover the retreat.  Moyney received the Victoria Cross for his leadership during the five days defence, while Woodcock was awarded the VC for going back to find and rescue a missing man lying wounded in the open.

1918: During the advance in France, Lance-Corporal Wilcox of the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry attacked four enemy machine-guns in turn, at one point using German grenades he captured having defeated an enemy bombing party.  Similarly, Sergeant Calvert of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry charged with the bayonet to take out a pair of German machine-guns that had pinned down British troops.  And Sergeant Laurent, of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, led just 12 men in a successful attack which killed thirty opponents and captured 112.  All three NCOs received the Victoria Cross.

1940: The Luftwaffe's attacks on London were hampered by bad weather .  The day's events are recorded on the RAF's Battle of Britain website.  Sapper Wylie managed to extricate safely an unexploded bomb buried deep immediately in front of St Paul's Cathedral, London.  Lieutenant Davies then drove the bomb away to a safe location and defused it.  Both men were awarded the George Cross.