Just days before the 150th anniversary of the institution of the VC, on 29 January 1856, Pte Beharry formally opened the new accommodation and, at the request of RMAS, dedicated its three wings to ordinary soldiers who have performed extraordinary acts of bravery - Pte Richard Masters, Rifleman Agansing Rai and himself.
The new accommodation has been provided as part of the MOD's Project Single Living Accommodation Modernisation (SLAM), which aims to deliver around 22,000 modern bedspaces by 2013. The new accommodation has been provided for soldiers living and working at RMAS, who will now benefit from modern, single room accommodation with en-suite bathrooms.
Pte Beharry said:
"Receiving the Victoria Cross was one of the proudest moments of my life, though I continue to believe that I was just doing what had to be done, as my Army colleagues do every day. To be honoured again, as I have been today, is another remarkable moment in an amazing year, and I hope this fantastic new accommodation will provide an inspiring beginning to the careers of soldiers living in, as well as officer cadets training at, Sandhurst."
The decision to name the new accommodation after VC holders was inspired by Corporal Nadin Rai, a member of the Gurkha Company working at Sandhurst. He was presented with an i-pod by the Commandant RMAS, Major General Andrew Ritchie, to thank him for the idea.
He said of his suggestion:
"I thought of naming the accommodation after Ptes Beharry and Masters and Rfn Rai because they are normal soldiers who performed heroic acts. Hopefully they will motivate all of us at Sandhurst to perform to the best of our abilities both here and throughout our careers in the Army."
Under Secretary of State for Defence, Don Touhig, added:
"The immense bravery and achievements of our troops, both past and present, is an inspiration to us all. Events like the naming ceremony yesterday and the WW2 Veterans' Living Museum we created in St James Park over the summer remind us all of this and ensure younger generations will never forget the heroism our Armed Forces regularly display.
"Our personnel provide a first class service and in return we want to provide them with first-class facilities, and this includes their homes. This new accommodation at Sandhurst is part of an MOD project to modernise our Single Living Accommodation, through which we hope to deliver 22,000 much-improved bedspaces by 2013."
The Victoria Cross ranks with the George Cross as the nation's highest award for gallantry. The first British medal to be created for bravery, the Victoria Cross was instituted on 29 January 1856, with the first recipients being personnel honoured for their gallantry during the Crimean War. The bronze Cross, which bears the inscription "For Valour", is cast from the metal of Russian guns captured at Sevastopol during the Crimean campaign. It is awarded "for most conspicuous bravery, or some daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice, or extreme devotion to duty in the presence of the enemy."
Private Johnson Gideon Beharry, from 1st Battalion the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, is the first person to receive the Victoria Cross since 1982 and is the first living recipient since 1965. Pte Beharry receives the Victoria Cross for two separate acts of outstanding gallantry of the highest order whilst based in Al Amarah, Maysan Province, Iraq, in 2004. In the first incident on 1 May 2004, Pte Beharry was driving the Platoon Commander's Warrior armoured vehicle that had been called to the assistance of a foot patrol caught in a series of ambushes. The Warrior vehicle was hit by multiple rocket propelled grenades, causing damage and resulting in the loss of radio communications. The platoon commander, the vehicle's gunner and a number of other soldiers in the vehicle were injured.
Pte Beharry showed initiative and great courage driving through the ambush, taking his own crew and leading five other Warriors to safety. He then demonstrated outstanding bravery by extracting his wounded colleagues from the vehicle, all the time exposed to further enemy fire. He is cited on this occasion for "valour of the highest order".
In the second incident, while back on duty on 11 June 2004, Pte Beharry was again driving the lead Warrior vehicle of his platoon through Al Amarah when this vehicle was ambushed. A rocket propelled grenade hit the vehicle and Pte Beharry received serious head injuries. Other rockets hit the vehicle incapacitating his commander and injuring several of the crew. Despite his very serious injuries, from which he is still recovering, Pte Beharry showed great strength of character, taking control of his vehicle and driving it out of the ambush area before losing consciousness.