Harry Prendergast

Prendergast was the son of Thomas and Caroline Lucy (née Dalrymple),[1] He was educated at Cheam School and then Brighton College, and, in later years, he was President of their old boys' association. He was also educated at Addiscombe Military Seminary.[2]

Prendergast was 23 years old and a lieutenant in the Madras Sappers, Madras Army during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

For conspicuous bravery on the 21st of November, 1857, at Mundisore, in saving the life of Lieutenant G. Dew, 14th Light Dragoons, at the risk of his own, by attempting to cut down a valaitee, who covered him (Lieutenant Dew) with his piece, from only a few paces to the rear. Lieutenant Prendergast was wounded in this affair by the discharge of the piece, and would probably have, been cut down, had not the rebel been killed by Major Orr. He also distinguished himself by his gallantry in the actions at Ratgurh and Betwa, when he was severely wounded. Major-General Sir Hugh Rose, in forwarding his recommendation of this Officer, states:

"Lieutenant Prendergast, Madras Engineers, was specially mentioned by Brigadier, now Sir Charles Stuart, for the gallant act at

Mundisore, when he was severely wounded; secondly, he was specially mentioned by me when acting voluntarily as my Aide-de-Camp in the Action before besieging Ragurh, on the Beena river, for gallant conduct. His horse was killed on that occasion. Thirdly, at the Action of 'the Betwa', he again voluntarily acted as my Aide-de-Camp, and distinguished himself by his bravery in the charge, which I made with Captain Need's Troop, Her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons, against the left of the so-called Peishwa's Army, under Tantia Topee. He was severely.wounded on that occasion."[3]

He received his VC from Queen Victoria at the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle on 4 January 1860 along with twenty-four other recipients of the decoration.

Prendergast served in the Persian War (1857), Central India Defence Force (1858), in the Abyssinian War (1867–68), in the Mediterranean (1878), before going to Burma.

His last field command was to lead the Burma Field Force in 1885–86 at the start the Third Anglo-Burmese War. In 1908 he was appointed Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Engineers.[4]

Prendergast was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1902 Coronation Honours list published on 26 June 1902,[5][6] and was invested by King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 8 August 1902.[7]

His recreations were listed as "boxing, fencing, sword-play, running, cricket, football, hunting and polo".[8]

He died at Heron Court, Richmond, Surrey, now in London, on 24 July 1913 and is buried in Richmond Cemetery.[9]

There is a bronze memorial tablet to him in Brighton College Chapel, but his sword that used to hang above it was stolen.

In the 1980s the medal, on loan from the Prendergast family to the National Army Museum was suggested to be a copy.[10][11] However, a subsequent 2020 study of its metal composition demonstrated it was an unusually close match to other Victoria Crosses, and in particular those dated to the same year, suggesting it was in fact genuine.[10][12] The medal is currently displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum in Chatham, England.

• Colonel H M Vibart, The Life of General Sir Harry N D Prendergast, RE, VC, GCB (The Happy Warrior). (Eveleigh Nash, London, 1914)
• Martin D W Jones, 'The War of Lost Footsteps. A Re-assessment of the Third Burmese War 1885–1896.', The Bulletin of the Military Historical Society, xxxx no. 157 (August 1989), pp. 36–40
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• The Sapper VCs (Gerald Napier, 1998)
• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)

• Royal Engineers Museum Sappers VCs
• Location of grave and VC medal (Surrey)