Lieutenant Colonel George Vincent Fosbery
VC (11 April 1832 – 8 May 1907) 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 ...
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. He was also a designer and inventor of firearms.
Military background
An
Old Etonian
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
, Fosbery was 31 years old, and a
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 ...
in the
4th Bengal European Regiment,
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...
during the
Umbeyla Campaign
The Ambela campaign (also called Umbeyla; Umbeylah; Ambeyla) in 1863 was one of many expeditions in the border area between the Emirate of Afghanistan and the Punjab Province of British India (this area was formally renamed to North-West Frontie ...
during which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He retired from the service in 1877 having achieved the rank of
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
.
Umbeyla Campaign
On 30 October 1863 during the Umbeyla Campaign, North-West
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 ...
, Lieutenant Fosbery led a party of his regiment to recapture the
Crag Picquet, after its garrison had been driven in by the enemy and 60 of them killed. The approach to the Crag was very narrow but the lieutenant led his party with great coolness, and was the first man to gain the top of the Crag from his side of the attack. Subsequently, when the commanding officer was wounded, Lieutenant Fosbery assembled a party and pursued the routed enemy, inflicting on them further losses.
Inventions
In 1895 he patented a design for a self-cocking revolver, which was taken up by the Webley & Scott Revolver & Arms Company. The
Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver was produced as a six-shot .455 caliber and an eight-shot .38 caliber.
Sometime in the late 19th century he invented the
Paradox gun
A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...
.
A gun made by
Holland & Holland
Holland & Holland is a British gunmaker and clothing retailer based in London, England, which offers handmade sporting rifles and shotguns. The company holds two royal warrants.
History
Holland & Holland was founded by Harris Holland (1806†...
, so named because only the front two inches of the barrel were rifled; intended to be used as both rifle and shotgun, capable of firing both shot and conical bullets with accuracy.
[oldammo.com]
Holland & Holland's Paradox Guns and Shells
June 2017
Medals
In 1997, Fosbery's Victoria Cross was sold at an Alberta auction for $45,000. His medals are now on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery in the
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
in London.
References
External links
Biography''(Avon)''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fosbery, George Vincent
British recipients of the Victoria Cross
British Indian Army officers
People from Wiltshire
1833 births
1907 deaths
English inventors
Firearm designers
British military personnel of the Umbeyla Campaign
People educated at Eton College