Colonel Conwyn Mansel-Jones (14 June 1871 – 29 May 1942) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

officer. He was a 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 and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces.

Early career

Educated at Haileybury and the

Royal Military College Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infantry a ...

, Mansel-Jones was commissioned a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) on 8 October 1890. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 1 July 1892, served with his regiment in the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War of 1895-96 and in

British Central Africa The British Central Africa Protectorate (BCA) was a British protectorate proclaimed in 1889 and ratified in 1891 that occupied the same area as present-day Malawi: it was renamed Nyasaland Nyasaland () was a British protectorate located ...

in 1898, where he was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

supernumerary to his regiment on 20 March 1899. He was recalled to his regiment at the outset of the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

in late 1899, and sent to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

Victoria Cross

Mansel-Jones took part in the Ladysmith relief force, and was confirmed as a captain in his regiment in February 1900. He was wounded on 27 February 1900, during the

battle of the Tugela Heights The Battle of Tugela (or Thukela) Heights, consisted of a series of military actions lasting from 14 February through to 27 February 1900 in which General Sir Redvers Buller's British army forced Louis Botha's Boer army to lift the Siege of Lady ...

, two days before the actual relief of Ladysmith. Mansel-Jones was 28 years old, and a captain in The West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) serving in during the Second Boer War when the following deed took place in Natal for which he was awarded the VC:

Later career

He remained in the army in recruiting until he retired due to his wounds in 1910. He was called to the bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

but returned to the colours in 1914. He served throughout the European War and was six times

mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

References

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Hampshire)''
Anglo-Boer War profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansel-Jones, Conwyn Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George West Yorkshire Regiment officers 1871 births 1942 deaths People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British military personnel of the Fourth Anglo-Ashanti War Members of Lincoln's Inn British Army personnel of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Officiers of the Légion d'honneur People from Wallington, London Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross