General Sir John Watson, (6 September 1829 – 23 January 1919) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, 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. An officer serving with the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...

, Watson received his Victoria Cross for actions at Lucknow during the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. He later rose to the rank of general in the

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 ...

Early life

Watson was born on 6 September 1829 in Chigwell, Essex. His father was William George Watson. In 1848, at the age of 19, Watson travelled to London seeking to join the army of the British East India Company. Joining the

as an officer he was initially sent to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. This offered little prospect of action, however, and Watson sought transfer to Bombay. His first combat action came in December 1848 during the Second Anglo-Sikh War when Watson took part in the Siege of Multan, while serving with the

1st Bombay European Fusiliers The 103rd Regiment of Foot (Royal Bombay Fusiliers) was a regiment raised in 1662. It transferred to the command of the Honourable East India Company in 1668 and to the command of the British Army in 1862. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgama ...

. Shortly afterwards he took part in the Battle of Gujrat. By the early 1850s, he was adjutant of the

1st Punjab Cavalry The 11th Cavalry (Frontier Force), is an armoured regiment of the Pakistan Army. It was previously known as the 11th Prince Albert Victor's Own Cavalry and was a regular cavalry regiment of the old British Indian Army. It was formed in 1921 by th ...

, when Lieutenant, later Field-Marshall, Frederick Roberts observed that Watson "was looked upon as one of the most promising officers of the Frontier Force."

Victoria Cross details

Watson was 28 years old, and a lieutenant in the

during the

when the following deed took place on 14 November 1857 at Lucknow, India, for which he was awarded the VC:

Later military career

Following this, Watson took part in further fighting around Cawnpore and then the Relief of Lucknow. After this he returned to England briefly on convalescence leave before returning to India.Ashcroft 2007, p. 67. In 1858, he raised the 4th Sikh Irregular Cavalry which later became the 6th Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers (Watson's Horse). He later took part in the Umbeyla Expedition (1863) and commanded the Central India Horse, 1871. He became Resident at Gwalior, 1877; Officiating Adjutant-General in Central India, 1871; commanded the Cavalry despatched from Bombay to Malta, 1878; and then commanded the Punjab chief's contingent of the

Kurram Valley Field Force __NOTOC__ The Kurram Valley Field ForceOften referred to at the time as the ''Kuram Field Force''. e.g.: was a British military formation during the first phase of the Second Afghan War, 1878–79. It was one of three military columns created b ...

in the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1879–80). In 1891 he was promoted to the rank of general. Watson also served in a number of other roles, including Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty Empress Victoria, 1870–71 and the Agent to the Governor-General at Baroda from 1882 until 1886, for which he was subsequently knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in 1886. He was promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the order (GCB) in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902, and was invested by King Edward VII at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

on 8 August 1902. He was also made Colonel of the Regiment of the 13th Duke of Connaught Lancers in 1904.

Death

Watson died on 23 January 1919, aged 89, at Finchampstead in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

. His grave lies in the churchyard of St James in the village. His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at 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 ...

, London.

Notes

References

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External link

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Berkshire)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, John 1829 births 1919 deaths Burials in Berkshire People from Chigwell Military personnel from Essex British recipients of the Victoria Cross British Indian Army generals British East India Company Army officers Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War British military personnel of the Umbeyla Campaign British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War