Seascape George Henry Ingouville VC, CGM (1826-1869) A Forgotten Jersey Hero Ned Malet de Carteret 1 Page George Henry Ingouville VC, CGM (1826-1869) Seascape four years prior to his joining the Royal Navy he served on board ships sailing out of Liverpool - the Hydaspes1, Duke of Wellington2, Bahamian3 and the Viscount Sandon4. In July 1851 George joined the Royal Navy. His service record states that he was 5ft 6½ inches tall, had hazel eyes, dark hair and dark complexion.He was rated Able Seaman and sent to serve on on HMS Trafalgar, a 120 gun first rate ship of the line. In 1853 Britain declared war on Russia and the Trafalgar was dispatched to the Crimea via La Fregonniere, the family home owned by George’s uncle Gibraltar, the Dardanelles, then through the George is better known today as the site of the Hotrel de Bosphorus into the Black Sea, to the port of France on St Saviour’s Road., St Helier by Philip John Sinope and finally Kalamita Bay. In April 1854 Ouless circa 1840 (by kind permission of Nicholas Stewart) he was transferred to the paddle steamer, HMS Samson which was part of a an Allied fleet patrolling the waters between the port of The winner of the first Victoria Cross to be Eupatoria in the north down to Sevastapol in the awarded to a Jerseyman, George Henry south. Ingouville was born at 16 La Motte Street, St Helier on 7 October, 1826. On 30 September, 1854 Ingouville was given more responsibility when he was made Captain He was the eldest son of Pierre Ingouville and of the Mast, essentially the foreman of the Elisa Marie French. George had two sister and seamen who worked on the mainmast. three brothers but sadly only his youngest brother John George lived a long life. Charles In October HMS Samson took part in the first Edouard died aged 4 and Clement Philippe when bombardment of Sevastapol. The following he was 21. Neither of his sisters, Eliza Maria or month, the Samson received a new Captain, Isabelle Francoise married. Thomas Saumarez Brock - a Guernseyman. George went sea aged 15 when he joined the At the turn of the year, Ingouville was moved up crew of the 188-ton Jersey brig Three Sisters. to the Baltic fleet where he served on board the His first trip saw the brig lose its anchor and steam frigate HMS Arrogant. He served on it in cable in a blow just off Bridlington on passage to the Crimea from 31 January, 1855 until 26 the Tyne from where he sailed to Algiers, Malta, February, 1857. Arrogant had been in an action Italy and Ireland before returning home in the previous year in which two of her crew men, August 1842. John Bythesea and William Johnsone, had won VCs - the second and third to be awarded5. In June 1843 he was back at sea on the Three Sisters and this time his travels took him back up to Newcastle and then down to Cadix and then 1 over the Equator to Montevideo. Hydaspes (ON 12252) 592-tons 2Duke of Wellington 3Bahamian(ON 16877) 318-tons 4 Over the next few years he seems to have Viscount Sandon (ON 1707) 540-tons 5 st carried on at sea for according to Keith Burrows Mate Charles Lucas won the 1 VC on board HMS Hecla er th in his 1971 article for the Société Jersiaise in the on 24 June, 1854 at Bomarsund in the Baltic. 2 Page George Henry Ingouville VC, CGM (1826-1869) Seascape It was while serving on board HMS Arrogant in saw the dire straits in which the cutter and the Baltic on 13 July, 1855 that the act of Ingouville found themselves in and whilst under gallantry for which he was to receive his fire jumped into a boat and rescued three men subsequent award took place. from the cutter. He then went out again and rescued Ingouville and the rest of the cutter’s The Arrogant in company with the Nile and crew and towed the cutter out of the range of Centaur, had proceeded to the gulf of Viborg in the Russian guns. the north east of the Baltic Sea near St. Petersberg, where they anchored just outside 18 months later, shortly after the inauguration the range of the shore batteries. As was the of the Victoria Cross, George’s name was the practice in those days, the crews then 21st to appear in the London Gazette of the 24 disembarked in the ship’s cutters and rowed in February, 1857 as a recipient of the award. towards the enemies’ batteries. The battle had been raging some time when the second cutter At the first investiture of the award by Queen of the Arrogant received an unlucky shot, which Victoria in Hyde Park on Friday 26th June, 1857, blew up the magazine. The boat drifted under we see a depiction of the service in the famous the batteries and would almost certainly have oil painting by George Houseman Thomas. This been sunk had not George Ingouville, although shows George Ingouville, as the last of the 12 wounded in the arm, jumped overboard, swam men of the Royal Navy being awarded his medal round to the bows, took hold of the painter and (there were 13 in total won) – we see it pinned succeeded in turning the boat aft and towed her to his chest by Queen Victoria mounted on out to sea6. horseback. There is some confusion because the ribbon attached to the medal in the painting is As a result of this action he was awarded the crimson (Army) when in fact it should be Blue Conspicuous Gallantry Medal. This medal had (Navy). The medal ribbon in the Jersey Maritime only recently been introduced as an “other Museum where the medal is on display is ranks” equivalent of the DCM (Distinguished crimson. When the medal was purchased in Conduct Medal ). 1970 by the Jersey Public Works Committee from Spinks, for the sum of £1,750, we believe The Conspicious that there were 2 medal ribbons with the Cross. Gallantry Medal Thus there is a continuing controversy as to awarded to Ingouville was whether the Queen pinned the wrong medal or one of only ten ribbon on to George’s chest! 62 Crimean warded during recipients out of the 111 medals awarded the Crimean received the medal from the Queen hand at the War. Investiture. The award carried an annual pension of £10. Both the pension and the medal could have been withdrawn for unsatisfactory conduct. Although George deserted on more than one occasion, and his conduct varied considerably over the years, the medal was never taken away The award was one of only five during the Baltic from him. Campaign and, in fact, was a double VC action because Lt George Dare Dowell of the Royal His service record states that his seamanship Marine Artillery, who was on board HMS Ruby, was at times good or very good but his conduct was sometimes poor. So he was a good sailor, 6 This account is taken from the dispatches of Capt but I suspect he had rather a temper, possibly as 3 Yelverton and Rear-Admiral Sir Richard.S. Dundas. a result of too much liquor? Page George Henry Ingouville VC, CGM (1826-1869) Seascape Oil painting from The Queen’s Collection by George Housman Thomas, depicting the First Investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, London, on June 26th, 1857. HM Queen Victoria is pinning the medal onto George Ingouville. (by permission Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II) Ingouville was also the holder of the Baltic August 1863 where his conduct and ability as a Medal (a rare medal), and the Turkish and seaman was noted as “Indifferent” Crimea Medals. The whereabouts of these It was at this time in his life that George medals and the CGM are unknown. married. He married Mary Ann Le Rossignol, the daughter of Matthew Le Rossignol, Master Following his career in the Royal Navy, George Mariner on 4 April, 1861 at the Roman Catholic served as a bosun in the Coastguard service. Chapel in Bristol Road, Brighton, Sussex. Sadly However, on 20 November 1857 he deserted; he there were no children by the marriage. was found soon after and was imprisoned until 2h December. The following March he was George’s death remains something of a real stationed at Birling Gap, Sussex but deserted mystery. He appears to have died at sea on 13 once more in late June, was arrested and spent January 1869 for this was the date from which June in prison. his pension stopped being paid as recorded by The Accountant General’s Victoria Cross Pension George then resumed his carrer in the Royal Register. His body was reported to have been Navy and served as Able Seaman on HMS washed ashore near Hyeres, Southern France Marlborough from January 1859 until March (near Toulon). This fact is, however, 1861. He served for a time on HMS Formidable unsubstantiated. His father had died there on 4 and subsequently as Able Seaman and Coxswain January, 1841, aged 41. on HMS Challenger from the end March 1861 until mid-June 1862. He was removed from the Thus it is a great sadness that we have no record Continuous Service Certificate (No 23827) on 7 of where or how he died, and he has no known January, 1863. and was transferred to an grave. “indecipherable” ship, from 16th March until 12th 4 Page George Henry Ingouville VC, CGM (1826-1869) Seascape Whilst there are several road names in St Helier Carlos, his cousin Luis and four other members named after the Ingouville family, there is no of the family at my instigation attended the lasting memorial to this brave Jerseyman.