John Farrell (VC)
John Farrell VC (March 1826, Dublin – 31 August 1865) was a British Army soldier and Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
John Farrell | |
|---|---|
 Depiction of the Charge of the Light Brigade | |
| Born | March 1826 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 31 August 1865 (aged 39) Secunderabad, India |
| Buried | Secunderabad Cemetery |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Rank | Quartermaster-Sergeant |
| Unit | 17th Lancers |
| Battles/wars | Crimean War Indian Mutiny |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
He was a sergeant in the 17th Lancers (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 25 October 1854 at Balaklava, Crimea during the Charge of the Light Brigade, Sergeant Farrell, whose horse had been killed under him, stopped on the field and amidst a storm of shot and shell helped Troop Sergeant Major John Berryman and Sergeant Joseph Malone to move a severely wounded officer (who subsequently died) out of range of the guns.[1]
He later achieved the rank of Quartermaster-Sergeant. He was killed in action at Secunderabad, British India, on 31 August 1865.
References
- "No. 22065". The London Gazette. 20 November 1857. p. 3920.
- 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 (Dept of Economic Development, 1995)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)