Daily Herald , newspaper

The Daily Herald was set up by striking printers in 1911 as a temporary newssheet to publicise their cause. It remained in publication after the end of the strike and was taken over by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Labour Party. It ran as an independent newspaper supporting the workers of Britain. It survived until taken over by Odhams Press in 1929. In 1964 it changed ownership again and immediately changed its name to The Sun.

In 1923 the Daily Herald observed that there `had not yet been established a method of recognising the bravery of the toilers, though scarcely a day passes without some example of valour or self-sacrifice in the industrial field.' In an effort to address this omission, the newspaper took the decision to establish its own award, The Daily Herald Order of Industrial Heroism.

The award, designed by Eric Gill, and popularly known as the `Workers' VC' was always given for the highest levels of bravery, many of the awards being given posthumously. In many cases the recipients also received medals from the Crown, such as the George Medal, Sea Gallantry Medal, British Empire Medal as well as awards by the Royal Humane Society, Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society and the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire.The Order was awarded on 440 occasions between 1923 and 1964, and was discontinued after the sale of the TUC's interest in the Daily Herald.