General
A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...
Sir Edward Pemberton Leach (2 April 1847 – 27 April 1913) 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 and
Commonwealth forces.
Early life
Leach was born in County Londonderry, Ireland on 2 April 1847. He was educated at
Highgate School in England.
Military career
Leach was
commissioned into the
Royal Engineers in 1866.
[Royal Engineers Museum]
He was 31 years old, and a
captain in the
Corps of Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
,
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 ...
and with
Bengal Sappers and Miners
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
(
British Indian Army) during the
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War (Dari: جنگ دوم افغان و انگلیس, ps, د افغان-انګرېز دويمه جګړه) was a military conflict fought between the British Raj and the Emirate of Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the l ...
when the following deed took place on 17 March 1879 near Maidanah,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
for which he was awarded the VC.
[The Royal Engineers Museum – Victoria Crosses held by the Royal Engineers Museum]
Later life
After this incident promotion followed and he was made
Commander of 24 Field Company during the
Suakin Expedition in 1885.
[ He was promoted to ]Major-General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
on 1 October 1897. From April 1900 he was General Officer Commanding Belfast
Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
in which capacity he founded the Ballykinlar training camp.[ He was appointed General Officer Commanding the 9th Division within Third Army Corps in Ireland on 1 April 1902, and served until 1905. Later that year, he was appointed General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for ]Scottish Command
Scottish Command or Army Headquarters Scotland (from 1972) is a command of the British Army.
History Early history
Great Britain was divided into military districts on the outbreak of war with France in 1793. The Scottish District was comman ...
where he served from 1905 to 1909 before he retired in 1912.[
Leach died in Cadenabbia, Lake Como, Italy on 27 April 1913.][''Who's Who 1914'' has his date of death as 26 April] His younger daughter Elsie Leach became a distinguished ornithologist.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham, England.
Notes
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)
*The Sapper VCs
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
(Gerald Napier, 1998)
*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
Royal Engineers Museum
Sappers VCs
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Edward Pemberton
1847 births
1913 deaths
19th-century Irish people
Irish officers in the British Army
Military personnel from County Londonderry
People educated at Highgate School
British Army generals
Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
Bengal Sappers and Miners personnel
Royal Engineers officers
Second Anglo-Afghan War recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Army personnel of the Mahdist War
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
British military personnel of the Lushai Expedition