Patrick Mullane

Patrick Mullane VC (October 1858 – 20 November 1919) was a 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. He later achieved the rank of regimental sergeant-major.

Patrick Mullane
Born17 September 1858
Ahmednuggar (now Ahmednagar), Deccan, India
Died20 November 1919 (aged 61)
Plaistow, London
Buried
St Patrick's Cemetery, Leytonstone
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
RankRegimental Sergeant-Major
UnitRoyal Horse Artillery
Battles/warsSecond Anglo-Afghan War
AwardsVictoria Cross

Early life

Mullane was born in Ahmednagar, Deccan, India, the son of Marguerite and Private Patrick Mullane, Royal Artillery.

Award details

He was about 21 years old, and a sergeant in the Royal Horse Artillery, British Army during the Second Anglo-Afghan War when the following deed took place during the battle of Maiwand for which he was awarded the VC:

For conspicuous bravery during the action at Maiwand, on the 27th July, 1880, in endeavouring to save the life of Driver Pickwell Istead. This Non-Commissioned Officer, when the battery to which he belonged, was on the point of retiring, and the enemy were within ten or fifteen yards, unhesitatingly ran back about two yards and picking up Driver Istead, placed him on the limber, where, unfortunately, he died almost immediately. Again, during the retreat, Sergeant Mullane volunteered to procure water for the wounded, and succeeded in doing so by going into one of the villages in which so many men lost their lives.[1]

Sothebys near sale of the medal 1904
The artillery flee at the Battle of Maiwand
Patrick Mullane VC action

The Sotheby's auction house in London were about to auction the medal that had previously been sold by Patrick Mullane's relatives.

"But on the morning of the sale in 1904 a giant of a man came to Sothebys in great tribulation. It [Mullane] was abroad and out of touch with the people. At once Tom Hodge, Sotheby's famous auctioneer, who died last year [1938] informed Capt. Buckingham [the then owner] who immediately restored the precious Cross to the tearful sergent. As Tom Hodge remarked to me: 'This was the most chivalrous act in my experience' "[2]

gollark: Oh, and as an extension to the third thing, if you already have some sort of vast surveillance apparatus, even if you trust the government of *now*, a worse government could come along and use it later for... totalitarian things.
gollark: For example:- the average person probably does *some* sort of illegal/shameful/bad/whatever stuff, and if some organization has information on that it can use it against people it wants to discredit (basically, information leads to power, so information asymmetry leads to power asymmetry). This can happen if you decide to be an activist or something much later, even- having lots of data on you means you can be manipulated more easily (see, partly, targeted advertising, except that actually seems to mostly be poorly targeted)- having a government be more effective at detecting minor crimes (which reduced privacy could allow for) might *not* actually be a good thing, as some crimes (drug use, I guess?) are kind of stupid and at least somewhat tolerable because they *can't* be entirely enforced practically
gollark: No, it probably isn't your fault, it must have been dropped from my brain stack while I was writing the rest.
gollark: ... I forgot one of them, hold on while I try and reremember it.
gollark: That's probably one of them. I'm writing.

See also
  • Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
  • Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
  • The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)

References
  1. "No. 24973". The London Gazette. 17 May 1881. p. 2553.
  2. Letter 2 October 1939 in the London Daily Telegraph from A C R Carter of Molesey.
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