ROYAL ENGINEER VICTORIA CROSS RECIPIENTS This list includes those recipients of the Victoria Cross who saw service in the Corps of Royal Engineers as well as other UK, Commonwealth and imperial engineer units. The Museum holds those highlighted in red and replicas are displayed in our Medal Rooms. Special group visits to view an original Victoria Cross can be booked and, occasionally, we display originals in our temporary exhibitions and events. In alphabetical order. Disclaimer: The Museum has acted in good faith in the production of this list and has used The Sapper VCs: The Story of Valour in the Royal Engineers and Its Associated Corps by Gerald Napier as its main source of information. However, some of the details provided are subject to change and the Museum accepts no responsibility should information be inaccurate. 1 Sapper Adam ARCHIBALD (Eventually Mr A Archibald, VC) Born 14 January 1879, died 11 March 1957. Won VC on the Sambre-Oise canal at Ors on 4 November 1918. Unit: 218 Field Company. VC presented by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 31 May 1919. Grave or cremation details: Warriston Crematorium, Edinburgh. Location of VC: Royal Engineers Museum. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice on 4 November 1918, near Ors, when with a party building a floating bridge across the canal. He was foremost in the work under a heavy artillery barrage and machine-gun fire. The latter was directed at him from a few yards’ distance while he was working on the cork floats; nevertheless he persevered in his task, and his example and efforts were such that the bridge, which was essential to the success of the operations, was very quickly completed. The supreme devotion to duty of this gallant sapper, who collapsed from gas-poisoning on completion of his work, was beyond all praise. (London Gazette: 6 January 1919) Captain Fenton John AYLMER (Eventually Lieutenant-General Sir Fenton Aylmer, Bart, VC, KCB) Born 5 April 1862, died 3 September 1935. Won VC at Hunza-Nagar on 2 December 1891. Unit: 4th Company, Bengal Sappers and Miners. VC presented by GOC Rawalpindi District at Rawalpindi on 28 October 1892. Grave or cremation details: cremated at Golders Green (CC 33382). Location of VC: Royal Engineers Museum. Citation: For his conspicuous bravery in the assault and capture of the Nilt Fort, on 2 December 1891. This officer accompanied the storming party, burst open the inner gate with gun-cotton, which he placed and ignited, and though severely wounded, once in the leg and twice in the right hand, fired nineteen shots with his revolver, killing several of the enemy, and remained fighting, until, fainting from loss of blood, he was carried out of the action. (London Gazette: 12 July 1892) Corporal Cyril Royston Guyton BASSETT (Eventually Colonel C.R.G. Bassett, VC) Born 3 January 1892, died 9 January 1983. Won VC at Chunuk Bair ridge, Gallipoli, on 7 August 1915. Unit: New Zealand Divisional Signal Company. VC presented by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 3 February 1916. Grave or cremation details: North Shore Crematorium, Albany, New Zealand. Location of VC: not publicly held. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty on the Chunuk Bair ridge in the Gallipoli Peninsula on 7 August 1915. After the New Zealand Infantry Brigade had attacked and established itself on the ridge, Corporal Bassett, in full daylight and under a continuous fire, succeeded in laying a telephone line from the old position to the new one on Chunuk Bair. He has subsequently been brought to notice for further excellent and most gallant work connected with the repair of telephone lines by day and night under heavy fire. (London Gazette: 15 October 1915) 2 Lieutenant Mark Sever BELL (Eventually Colonel M.S. Bell, VC, CB, ADC) Born 15 May 1843, died 26 June 1906. Won VC at Ordahsu, Gold Coast (now Ghana), on 4 February 1874. VC presented by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 26 November 1874. Grave or cremation details: All Souls’ Church, All Souls Road, South Ascot. Location of VC: Royal Engineers Museum. Citation: For his distinguished bravery and zealous, resolute and self-devoted conduct at the battle of Ordahsu on the 4 February 1874, whilst serving under the immediate orders of Colonel Sir John Chetham McLeod, KCB, of the 42nd Regiment, who commanded the Advanced Guard, Sir John McLeod was an eye witness of his gallant and distinguished conduct on the occasion, and considers that this officer’s fearless and resolute bearing, being always in the front, urging on and encouraging an unarmed working party of Fantee labourers, who were exposed not only to the fire of the enemy, but to the wild and irregular fire of the Native Troops in the rear, contributed very materially to the success of the day. By his example, he made these men do what no European party was ever required to do in warfare, namely, to work under fire in the face of the enemy without a covering party. (London Gazette: 20 November 1874) Second Lieutenant Premindra Singh BHAGAT (Eventually Lieutenant-General Premindra Singh, Bhagat, PVSM, VC) Born 14 October 1918, died 23 May 1975. Won VC near Metemma, Abyssinia, on 31 January – 1 February 1941. Unit: 21 Field Company, Bombay Sappers and Miners. VC presented by the Viceroy, HE the Marquess of Linlithgow KT, GCSI, GCIE at Delhi on 10 November 1941. Grave or cremation details; ashes consigned to River Moola, Poona. Location of VC: Bombay Sappers Group Museum, Kirkee, Poona. Citation: For most conspicuous gallantry on active service in the Middle East. During the pursuit of the enemy following the capture of Metemma on the night 31 January – 1 February 1941, Second-Lieutenant Bhagat was in command of a section of a Field Company, Sappers and Miners, detailed to accompany the leading mobile troops (Bren Carriers) to clear the road and adjacent areas of mines. For a period of four days and over a distance of 55 miles this officer in the leading carrier led the Column. He detected and supervised the clearing of fifteen minefields. Speed being essential, he worked at high pressure from dawn to dusk each day. On two occasions when his carrier was blown up with casualties to others, and on a third occasion when ambushed and under close enemy fire he himself carried straight on with his task. He refused relief when worn out with strain and fatigue and with one eardrum punctured by an explosion, on the grounds that he was now better qualified to continue his task to the end. His coolness, persistence over a period of 96 hours, and gallantry, not only in battle, but throughout the long period when the safety of the Column and the speed at which it could advance were dependent on his personal efforts, were of the highest order. (London Gazette: 10 June 1941) 3 Lieutenant John Rouse Merriott CHARD (Eventually Colonel J.R.M. Chard, VC) Born 21 December 1847, died 1 November 1897. Won VC at Rorke’s Drift, Natal, on 22/23 January 1879. Unit: 5 Field Company. VC presented by Lord Wolseley at St Paul’s Mission Station, near Inkwenken Camp, Zululand, on 15 July 1879. Grave or cremation details: Parish Church of St John the Baptist, Hatch Beauchamp. Location of VC: Imperial War Museum. Citation (to be read in conjunction with Lieutenant Bromhead): For their gallant conduct at the defence of Rorke’s Drift, on the occasion of the attack by the Zulus, on 22 and 23 January 1879. The Lieutenant-General commanding the troops reports that had it not been for the fine example and excellent behaviour of these two officers under the most trying circumstances, the defence of Rorke’s Drift post would not have been conducted with that intelligence and tenacity which so successfully characterised it. The Lieutenant-General adds that its success must, in a great degree, be attributed to the two young officers who exercised the chief command on the occasion in question. (London Gazette: 2 May 1879) Major Brett Mackay CLOUTMAN (Eventually His Honour Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Brett Cloutman, VC MC) Born 7 November 1891, died 15 August 1971. Won VC at Quarters Bridge at Pont-sur-Sambre on 6 November 1918. Unit: 59 Field Company. VC presented by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 13 February 1919. Grave or cremation details: cremated at Golders Green; ashes spread near his brother’s grave in Norfolk Cemetery, Albert, France. Location of VC: Royal Engineers Museum. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery on 6 November 1918, at Pont-sur-Sambre, Major Cloutman, after reconnoitring the river crossings, found the Quarters Bridge almost intact, but prepared for demolition. Leaving his party under cover, he went forward alone, swam across the river, and having cut the ‘leads’ from the charges, returned the same way despite the fact that the bridge and all approaches thereto were swept by enemy shells and machine-gun fire at close range. Although the bridge was blown up later in the day by other means, the abutments remained intact. (London Gazette: 31 January 1919) Brigadier-General Clifford COFFIN (Eventually Major-General C. Coffin, VC, CB, DSO) Born 10 February 1870, died 4 February 1959. Won VC at Westhoek Ridge, Ypres, on 31 July 1917. Unit: 25 Infantry Brigade. VC presented by King George V at Buckingham Palace on 2 January 1918. Grave or cremation details: Holy Trinity Churchyard, Coleman’s Hatch, Kent. Location of VC: Royal Engineers Museum. Citation: For most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. On 31 July when his command was held up in attack owing to heavy machine-gun and rifle fire from front and right flank, and was establishing itself in a forward shell-hole line, he went forward and made an inspection of his front posts.