I am not be-littling the recipients of galantry medals in any way - however, the award of a significant number of medals is usually a traditional method of reducing the media impact of military/political c0ck-ups.
For example - the VCs awarded at Rork's Drift (plus another few the day before) to hide away the impact of Islwandana in January 1879 (the Zulu series of films for the non-historians out there). The Boer war put up a good few VCs during Black Week when the british Army was badly defeated 3 times in 7 days (including a VC for the commanding general's Son leaving both Father and Son as VC winners - the Robert's Junior medal was for a gallant attempt to recover exposed artillery and sadly postumous). In more recent times, 5 were awarded for Arnhem (Op Market garden) in Sep 44.
I repeat - I am not saying that the medals were not deserved - it is just that a military/political setback is often accompanied by a rash of medals. I now await the incoming flak......