Alexander Wright (VC)

Alexander Wright
Alexander Wright
	Depiction of the Siege of Sebastopol
Born	1826; Ballymena, County Antrim, Ireland
Died	28 July 1858 (aged 31–32); Calcutta, India
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Private
Unit	77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
Battles/wars	Crimean War; Indian Mutiny
Awards	Victoria Cross

Alexander Wright VC (1826 – 28 July 1858) was a British Army soldier and an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Background

Alexander Wright was born in Ballymena, in what is now Northern Ireland.[1][2]

Details

He was about 29 years old, and a private in the 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (later The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own)), British Army during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 22 March 1855 at the Siege of Sebastopol, in the Crimean Peninsula, Private Wright distinguished himself in repelling a sortie. On 19 April he showed great bravery at the taking of the Russian Rifle Pits and was particularly noticed for the encouragement he gave the other men while holding the Pits under very heavy fire; he was wounded in this action. He again showed great courage on 30 August 1855, and throughout the war.[3]

It is unclear whether Wright ever received his medal, as his regiment had deployed to help quell the Indian Rebellion of 1857. He was killed in action on 28 July 1858 during intense fighting in Calcutta. His body was not recovered and he has no known grave.[4]

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires) Museum in Dover Castle, England.[5]

References

"Queen's Regiment Victoria Cross Awards". queensregimentalassociation.org. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
"The Dictionary of Ulster Biography". www.newulsterbiography.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
"No. 21971". The London Gazette. 24 February 1857. p. 661.
"Alexander Wright VC". vconline.org.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
Brazier, Kevin (2015). The Complete Victoria Cross: A Full Chronological Record of All Holders of Britain's Highest Award for Gallantry. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4738-7206-6. Retrieved 23 May 2020.

Sources

Profile
The Register of the Victoria Cross (1981, 1988 and 1997)
Clarke, Brian D. H. (1986). "A register of awards to Irish-born officers and men". The Irish Sword. XVI (64): 185–287.
Ireland's VCs ISBN 1-899243-00-3 (Dept of Economic Development, 1995)
Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)

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[1] "Queen's Regiment Victoria Cross Awards". queensregimentalassociation.org. Retrieved 23 May 2020.

[2] "The Dictionary of Ulster Biography". www.newulsterbiography.co.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2020.

[3] "No. 21971". The London Gazette. 24 February 1857. p. 661.

[4] "Alexander Wright VC". vconline.org.uk. Retrieved 23 May 2020.

[5] Brazier, Kevin (2015). The Complete Victoria Cross: A Full Chronological Record of All Holders of Britain's Highest Award for Gallantry. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4738-7206-6. Retrieved 23 May 2020.