During the Battle of the Alma (in the Crimean War) 160 years ago today, six men won Victoria Cross medals. Instituted by a Royal Warrant dated 29 January 1856, awards were made retrospectively to the autumn of 1854 to cover the period of the Crimean War. The Victoria Cross was the first medal for bravery that could be earned by anyone in the Army or the Navy. Officer, soldier or sailor – nothing else mattered except acting in the most courageous possible way.
Made from bronze, traditionally taken from a gun captured in the Crimean War, the rough cast Crosses are individually hand finished and therefore each unique. The Victoria Cross was deliberately intended to have little actual value. The worth lies in what it stands for and what people do to earn it: be extremely brave.
The first Army VC was awarded to Sergeant Luke O’Connor, 23rd Regiment (later Royal Welch Fusiliers). FindmyPast has an index of Victoria Cross recipients from the Crimean, the Boer War, the Indian Mutiny as well as both World Wars (1,350 recipients in total). The six awards made in reference to the Battle of the Alma were:
- Luke O’Connor was born 20 January 1831. He carried the Colours during the advance at the Battle and carried on, although wounded…. and hence, his award of VC.
- Edward William Derrington Bell (Captain) of the Royal Welch Fusiliers ‘captured enemy gun’ and took command of his regiment after all senior officers had been killed or wounded during the Battle.
- John Simpson Knox of the Scots Fusiliers Guards (Sergeant) reformed ranks during the Battle and later, on 18 June 1855 when serving as a lieutenant with The Rifle Brigade, led an attack on the Redan at Sebastopol. A Scot, Knox was born on 30 September 1828 at Calton, Glasgow.
- Robert George Lindsay of the Scots Fusiliers Guards (later Lord Wantage) was awarded the VC for rallying his men at the Battle and, on 5 November 1854, he ‘charged a large number of enemy’ at the Battle of Inkerman. Buried in Ardington Church near Wantage, there is a bust of him in Wantage Library and a memorial in the town square in Wantage.
- James McKechnie of the Scots Fusiliers Guards rallied his men round the Colours during heavy onslaught at the Battle. His medals are held by the Scots Guards Museum.
- William Reynolds of the Scots Fusiliers Guards (Private) was also awarded his VC as he also rallied men around him during the Battle. Buried at Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking, Surrey, there was no headstone to mark his grave until 2007.
All men are referred to in the London Gazette published on 24 February 1857 and at the first ceremony, held on 26 June 1857, Queen Victoria invested 62 of the 111 Crimean recipients in Hyde Park.
