Charles Lumley

For the British politician, see Charles Lumley (MP).

Charles Henry Lumley
Depiction of the Siege of Sebastopol
Born	1824 Forres, Morayshire
Died	17 October 1858 (aged 33-34) Brecknock, Powys
Buried	Brecon Cathedral Churchyard, Powys
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Major
Unit	97th Regiment of Foot
Battles/wars	Crimean War
Awards	Victoria Cross Légion d'honneur (France) Order of the Medjidie (Ottoman Empire)

Charles Henry Lumley VC (1824 – 17 October 1858) was a Scottish 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.

Details

Lumley was about 31 years old, and a captain in the 97th Regiment of Foot (later The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment) of the British Army during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 8 September 1855 at Sebastopol, in the Crimea at the assault on the Redan, Captain Lumley was among the first inside the work, where he was immediately attacked by three Russian gunners who were reloading a field piece. He shot two of them with his revolver when he was knocked down by a stone which stunned him for a moment, but on recovery, he drew his sword and was in the act of cheering his men on, when he was severely wounded in the mouth.

Further information

He was born in Forres, Morayshire, Scotland. He later achieved the rank of major and is buried in the churchyard at Brecon Cathedral.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment Museum in Maidstone, Kent, England.

References

Bibliography

• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)

External links

• Location of grave and VC medal (Powys, Wales)