Andrew Fitzgibbon VC (13 May 1845 – 7 March 1883) was a British soldier, and possibly the youngest recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

Details

Fitzgibbon was born in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He was fifteen years old, and a Hospital Apprentice in the Indian Medical Establishment,

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four- ...

, attached to the 67th Regiment (later The Royal Hampshire Regiment) during the Third China War when the deed for which he was awarded the VC took place. On 21 August 1860 at the capture of the Northern of the

Taku Forts The Taku Forts or Dagu Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban center. History The f ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Fitzgibbon accompanied a wing of the 67th Regiment when it took up a position within 500 yards of the fort. He proceeded, under heavy fire, to attend a dhoolie-bearer whose wound he had been directed to bind up. Then, while the regiment was advancing under the enemy's fire, he ran across the open ground to attend to another wounded man. In doing so he was himself severely wounded.

Further information

Acknowledged to be youngest recipient of the VC (aged 15 years, 3 months), with

Thomas Flinn Thomas Flynn VC (August 1842 – 10 August 1892) was born in Athlone and was an 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 Commonw ...

Jack Cornwell John Travers Cornwell VC (8 January 1900 – 2 June 1916), commonly known as Jack Cornwell or as Boy Cornwell, is remembered for his gallantry at the Battle of Jutland during World War I. Having died at the age of only 16, he was posthumously ...

was 16 years old when he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross after the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

. Fitzgibbon later achieved the rank of

Apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is a mostly archaic term for a medical professional who formulates and dispenses '' materia medica'' (medicine) to physicians, surgeons, and patients. The modern chemist (British English) or pharmacist (British and North Ameri ...

. He died in Delhi, India on 7 March 1883. He is believed to have been buried with his Victoria Cross.

Footnotes

References

*''

Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...

'' (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000) *''

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 36 ...

'' (David Harvey, 1999) *''

The Register of the Victoria Cross ''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fol ...

'' (This England, 1997)

External links

Hospital-Apprentice A. Fitzgibbon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgibbon, Andrew Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross 1845 births 1883 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the British Indian Army British military personnel of the Second Opium War Child soldiers Military personnel of British India