Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Edmund John Phipps-Hornby, (31 December 1857 – 13 December 1947) was a

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 and 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 award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Background

Phipps-Hornby was born in Lordington House,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

on 31 December 1857, the son of the Admiral of the Fleet Sir Geoffrey Phipps Hornby. He was the brother of Captain Geoffrey Stanley Phipps-Hornby and Admiral Robert Phipps Hornby.

Victoria Cross details

Phipps-Hornby was 42 years old, and a major commanding

Q Battery, Royal Horse Artillery Q, or q, is the seventeenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is pronounced , most commonly spelled ''cue'', but a ...

, during 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 South ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC: On 31 March 1900 at

Sanna's Post Sanna's Post (a.k.a. Korn Spruit) was an engagement fought during the Second Boer War (1899-1902) between the British Empire and the Boers of the two independent republics of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. Background In e ...

(aka Korn Spruit), South Africa, 'Q' and 'U' batteries of the Royal Horse Artillery were ambushed with the loss of most of the baggage column and five guns of the leading battery. When the alarm was given 'Q' Battery, commanded by Major Phipps Hornby, went into action 1150 yards from the spruit, until the order to retire was received, when the major commanded that the guns and their limbers be run back by hand to a safe place — a most exhausting operation over a considerable distance, but at last all but one of the guns and one limber had been moved to safety and the battery reformed. The citation reads: The following men were also awarded the Victoria Cross in the same action: Lieutenant Francis Maxwell, Sergeant Charles Parker, Gunner

Isaac Lodge Isaac Lodge VC (6 May 1866 – 18 June 1923) was an English 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. Details ...

and Driver Horace Glasock.

Further information

Following his return to the United Kingdom, Phipps Hornby served as Aide-de-camp to Lord Roberts when he was Commander-in-Chief from 1901 to 1903. He later served in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He achieved the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

granted upon his retirement in 1918, after 40 years of service. His

grave A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grav ...

and memorial are in St Andrew's churchyard at

Sonning Sonning is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England, on the River Thames, east of Reading. The village was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book '' Three Men in a Boat'' as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river". Geo ...

in Berkshire.

Family

Phipps-Hornby married, on 31 January 1895, Anna Jay, daughter of Mr. Jay, of Blendon Hall,

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

, Kent. They had two daughters: * Evelyn Irene Sophie Phipps-Hornby (1895–1993), married Brigadier Hubert Francis Lucas (1897-1990), of the Lucas baronets, of Ashtead park * Betty Angela Phipps-Hornby (1902–1982), married Charles Lansdell Tapply

The medal

Brigadier General Phipps Hornby's Victoria Cross and other medals are displayed at the

Royal Artillery Museum The Royal Artillery Museum, which was one of the world's oldest military museums, was first opened to the public in Woolwich in southeast London in 1820. It told the story of the development of artillery through the ages by way of a collection o ...

Woolwich, England Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

References

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Berkshire)'' *
Angloboerwar.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phipps Hornby, Edmund John 1857 births 1947 deaths Military personnel from Sussex British Army brigadiers Burials in Berkshire Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Artillery officers British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Bath People from Chichester District People from Sonning British Army generals of World War I British Army personnel of the Second Boer War Deputy Lieutenants of Berkshire British military personnel of the Bechuanaland Expedition British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross