Charles Irwin,
VC (1824 – 8 April 1873), was born in
Manorhamilton
Manorhamilton () is the second-largest town in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is located on the N16 from Sligo and from Enniskillen.
History
Before the Plantations of Ireland, the settlement was known, and continues to be known in the Ir ...
,
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...
, and was an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
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 ...
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
Commonwealth forces.
Details
Irwin was approximately 33 years old, and a
private in the
53rd Regiment of Foot (later
The King's Shropshire Light Infantry),
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
during the
Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place on 16 November 1857 at the
Relief of Lucknow
The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British The Residency, Lucknow, Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel Sepoy, sepoys (Indian soldiers in the East India Company, British East India Company's Army) during the Indian ...
for which he was awarded the VC:
Further information
Service Record:
*
18th Regiment of Foot
* 3168 53rd Shropshire Regiment
*
87th Regiment of Foot between Jan 1860 – 30 June 1860.
The Victoria Cross to the 53rd Regiment : India 1857–58
/ref>
His entry in the Canon Lummis files states that: "Judging from numerous entries in the muster roles as to imprisonment, he appears to have been a bad hat."
He died on 29 March 1873 at Newtownbutler
Newtownbutler or Newtown Butler is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the southeast corner of the county, near Lough Erne, the border with County Monaghan, and the town of Clones. It is surrounded by small lakes and ...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...
, Ireland and was buried in Saint Mark's Churchyard ( Aghadrumsee) Magheraveely
Magheraveely () is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census, it had a population of people 254. It is within the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area.
History
In 1820, Magheraveely used to lie on the main ...
, County Fermanagh.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The King's Shropshire Light Infantry Museum.
References
Listed in order of publication year
*''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 fo ...
'' (1981, 1988 and 1997)
*
*''Ireland's VCs
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 ...
'' (Dept of Economic Development, 1995)
*''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 3 ...
'' (David Harvey, 1999)
*''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)
External links
Location of grave and VC medal
''(Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland)''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Charles
1824 births
1873 deaths
19th-century Irish people
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Army personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War
Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross
Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross
King's Shropshire Light Infantry soldiers
People from County Leitrim
Royal Irish Fusiliers soldiers
Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) soldiers
Military personnel from County Leitrim
Burials in Northern Ireland