Sir Ernest Beachcroft Beckwith Towse, (23 April 1864 – 21 June 1948) 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 and campaigner for the blind. 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 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 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.

Military career

Towse, the son of a solicitor, was born in London, and was educated at

Stubbington House School Stubbington House School was founded in 1841 as a boys' preparatory school, originally located in the Hampshire village of Stubbington, around from the Solent. Stubbington House School was known by the sobriquet "the cradle of the Navy". The sc ...

, Gosport, and

Wellington College, Berkshire Wellington College is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in the village of Crowthorne, Berkshire, England. Wellington is a registered charity and currently educates roughly 1,200 pupils, between the ages of 13 and ...

. In 1883 he joined the 3rd battalion

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, The Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw servic ...

and was promoted lieutenant in December 1885. In 1886 he transferred to the Gordon Highlanders. He distinguished himself with the

Chitral Chitral ( khw, , lit=field, translit=ćhitrār; ur, , translit=ćitrāl) is situated on the Chitral River in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It serves as the capital of the Chitral District and before that as the capital of Chitral ...

Expedition in 1895, 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 ...

on 20 May 1896, and served in the

Tirah Campaign The Tirah campaign, often referred to in contemporary British accounts as the Tirah expedition, was an Indian frontier campaign from September 1897 to April 1898. Tirah is a mountainous tract of country in what was formally known as Federally ...

on the North-West Frontier of

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 ...

in 1898. After the outbreak 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 October 1899, his battalion was 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 ...

. They were part of large force sent to relieve the

Siege of Kimberley The siege of Kimberley took place during the Second Boer War at Kimberley, Cape Colony (present-day South Africa), when Boer forces from the Orange Free State and the Transvaal besieged the diamond mining town. The Boers moved quickly to try ...

, and took part in the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, South Africa, on the borders of the Cape C ...

on 10–11 December 1899, in which the defending Boer force defeated the advancing British, causing heavy casualties. Towse was mentioned in the despatch from

Lord Methuen Baron Methuen, of Corsham in the County of Wiltshire, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1838 for the former Member of Parliament for Wiltshire and Wiltshire North, Paul Methuen. His grandson, the third Baron (who ...

describing the battle.

Details on the Victoria Cross

Towse was 35 years old, and a captain in the 1st Battalion,

The Gordon Highlanders ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

during the Second Boer War when the following deeds led to the award of the Victoria Cross: The shot that blinded Towse was fired by the Russian volunteer

Yevgeny Maximov Yevgeny Yakovlevich Maximov (russian: Евге́ний Я́ковлевич Макси́мов; 4 March 1849 – 14 October 1904) was a Russian adventurer, soldier and journalist mostly remembered for his service with the South African Republic ...

who was struggling with Towse during the action on Mount Thaba.

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, it is said, shed tears when pinning the decoration. Possibly at her instance, The War Office awarded Towse with a special wounds pension of £300 a year. He retired from the army in February 1902, but was appointed by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

one of His Majesty′s

Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of Ge ...

on 1 January 1903.

Campaigner for the blind

Captain Towse shoots at Lt Col Maximov at point-blank range

Towse′s VC action left him blind and he spent much of the rest of his life working with the blind. He 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 ...

as a staff officer working with the wounded in base hospitals in France and Belgium, as well as promoting the welfare of blinded former servicemen. Towse was chairman of the British and Foreign Blind Association, founded the British Wireless for the Blind Fund in 1928 and was a trustee of The Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind (GWB, now known as CLARITY - Employment for Blind People). He provided GWB a grant of £500, which enabled them to start making soap. In 1940 he made his house available as a rehabilitation centre for civilians blinded through air raids. His sister, Beatrice Julia Beckwith Towse, was a committee member of the Disabled Officers Garden Homes (formerly Ex-Officers Direct Supply Association) organisation; she lived with him after his injury. Among other appointments, Towse was a national vice-president of the

British Legion The Royal British Legion (RBL), formerly the British Legion, is a British charity providing financial, social and emotional support to members and veterans of the British Armed Forces, their families and dependants, as well as all others in ne ...

from 1927, and Vice Patron of St Dunstans (now Blind Veterans UK) from 1946, holding both posts until his death in 1948.

Pipe Major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

George S. McLennan (1884–1929) of the Gordon Highlanders composed the 2/4 march "Captain E.B.B. Towse, V.C." in his honour.

The VC medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Gordon Highlanders Museum The Gordon Highlanders Museum is based in Aberdeen, Scotland and celebrates the story of the Gordon Highlanders regiment, which originated as the 92nd (Gordon Highlanders) Regiment of Foot in 1794, merged with the 75th (Stirlingshire) Regiment o ...

, Aberdeen, Scotland.

Medals and honours

King Edward VII Coronation Medal (Military) ribbon

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal ribbon

Source:Photo of Captain Sir Beachcroft Towse' Medals
/ref>

Other honours

Towse also received a number of other honours, including sergeant-at-arms in ordinary to the queen (appointed 1900); member of the

Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms His Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms is a bodyguard to the British Monarch. Until 17 March 1834, they were known as The Honourable Band of Gentlemen Pensioners. Formation The corps was formed as the Troop of G ...

(1903–39); and was also a member of the

Fishmongers' Company The Worshipful Company of Fishmongers (or Fishmongers' Company) is one of the 110 Livery Company, Livery Companies of the City of London, being an incorporated guild of fishmonger, sellers of fish and seafood in the City. The Company ranks four ...

and the court of the

Clothworkers' Company The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, formed by the amalgamation of its two predecessor companies, the Fullers (incorporated 1480) and the Shearmen (incorporated 1508). It succeeded to the position of t ...

References

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) *

Scotland's Forgotten Valour ''Scotland's Forgotten Valour'' is a 1995 book by Graham Ross, published by MacLean Press under . (The typography of the title on the book uses capitalisation to contrast emphasis ("SCOTLAND'S FORgotten VALOUR"), to communicate additional meanin ...

(Graham Ross, 1995) *

Victoria Crosses of the Anglo-Boer War The Victoria Cross (VC) is a British military honour awarded to 78 members of the British Armed Forces for action during the Second Boer War. The Victoria Cross is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to membe ...

(Ian Uys, 2000)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Oxfordshire)'' *
Angloboerwar.com Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Towse, Ernest 1864 births 1948 deaths Burials in Oxfordshire English blind people British military personnel of the Tirah campaign British Army personnel of the Second Boer War British Army personnel of World War I British military personnel of the Chitral Expedition British charity and campaign group workers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British recipients of the Victoria Cross Founders of charities Seaforth Highlanders officers Gordon Highlanders officers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order People educated at Wellington College, Berkshire Military personnel from Westminster Knights of Grace of the Order of St John Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms People educated at Stubbington House School Second Boer War recipients of the Victoria Cross