Thomas Byrne (VC)

Thomas Byrne

VC
Thomas Byrne; VC
Born	December 1866; York St. Dublin, Ireland
Died	15 March 1944 (aged 77); Canterbury, England
Buried	Canterbury City Cemetery 51°17′09″N 1°03′51″E / 51.285715°N 1.064139°E
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Years of service	1887 - 1909
Rank	Private
Battles/wars	Mahdist War; Second Boer War;
Awards	Victoria Cross

Thomas Byrne, VC (December 1866 Dublin – 15 March 1944) was an Irish British Army soldier. He was the recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Deed[edit]

He was about 30 years old, and a private in the 21st Lancers (Empress of India's), British Army during the Mahdist War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:

On 2 September 1898 at the Battle of Omdurman, Sudan, Private Byrne turned back in the middle of the charge of the 21st Lancers and went to the assistance of a lieutenant of the Royal Horse Guards who was wounded, dismounted, disarmed and being attacked by several Dervishes. Private Byrne already wounded, attacked these Dervishes, received a second severe wound and by his gallant conduct enabled the officer to escape.^[1]

Honours[edit]

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Victoria Cross (VC)	2 September 1898.
	Queen's Sudan Medal
	Queen's South Africa Medal	With Clasp "Transvaal" With Clasp "Orange Free State" With Clasp "Cape Colony"
	King George VI Coronation Medal	12 May 1937. All Living VC Recipients Received this Medal.
	Army Meritorious Service Medal
	Khedive's Sudan Medal	With Clasp "Khartoum".

His Medals were sold at Auction for £40,000 at David Lay Auctioneers in Penzance, Cornwall on 25 August 2015.^[2]

Later life[edit]

He later served in the Second Boer War.^[3] He died at Canterbury, Kent, on 15 March 1944, and is buried at the local Canterbury City Cemetery. At the time of his death he was one of only 2 surviving members of the charge of the 21st Lancers at Omdurman where he won the VC. His funeral was attended by Winston Churchill who was the last surviving member of the regiment's charge. ^[4]

References[edit]

^ "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6897.
^ Gorman, Claire (26 August 2015). "Medals of 'Churchill's hero' sell for £40,000". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 July 2021.
^ Canterbury Council^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Irish V.C. was with Churchill in action". The Evening Herald. 29 August 1945. p. 3.

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)

External links[edit]

Thomas Byrne at Find a Grave

[1] "No. 27490". The London Gazette. 31 October 1902. p. 6897.

[2] Gorman, Claire (26 August 2015). "Medals of 'Churchill's hero' sell for £40,000". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 July 2021.

[3] Canterbury Council^{[permanent dead link]}

[4] "Irish V.C. was with Churchill in action". The Evening Herald. 29 August 1945. p. 3.

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