Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Mark Sever Bell, (15 May 1843 – 26 June 1906) was an English 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. Born in the Australian colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, his family travelled to England when he was an infant. He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

and King's College London, where he was made a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1890. Bell was 30 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 ...

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 ...

during the

First Ashanti Expedition The Anglo-Ashanti wars were a series of five conflicts that took place between 1824 and 1900 between the Ashanti Empire—in the Akan interior of the Gold Coast—and the British Empire and its African allies. Though the Ashanti emerged victo ...

when the following deed took place on 4 February 1874 at the Battle of Ordashu, Ashanti (now

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

) for which he was awarded the VC: He later achieved the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. While serving as the commanding officer of Shornecliff military barracks at Folkestone Kent in 1890 a curious incident involving Colonel Bell occurred making national news. The colonel had been expecting 11 packages by mail wagon but the postman counted 12 addressed to the recipient. While driving his horse and cart up Sandgate hill, a pothole in the road jolted the vehicle and its contents which fell onto the street with the 12th package spilling open. It was revealed to be a stone pickle jar in which was found the dead body of a male infant whose chest had been mutilated and top of the skull removed. The colonel denied any knowledge of who the package had been sent by and policemen managed traced the sender of the package back to a fashionable West-End London address. The property was owned by a wealthy young lady who claimed that the parcel may have been sent by her brother, a doctor and pathologist, who had died three years earlier and who supposedly kept human specimens. However, it appears that the young lady may have either perverted the law of justice or had been let off her crime due to her social status and class. He died at

Windlesham Windlesham is a village in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately south west of central London. Its name derives from the Windle Brook, which runs south of the village into Chobham, and the common suffix 'ham', the Old Engli ...

and his is buried at All Soul's Churchyard, South Ascot, Berkshire, England. A headstone marks his grave. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Engineers Museum, Chatham, England.

References

"News." Evening Telegraph, 21 Mar. 1890, p. 3. British Library Newspapers, Accessed 27 Mar. 2019.

External links

Sappers VCs

''(Berkshire)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Mark Sever 1843 births 1906 deaths People educated at King's College School, London Alumni of King's College London Fellows of King's College London British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Engineers officers British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War People from Sydney British military personnel of the Bhutan War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Australian emigrants to England Recipients of the MacGregor Medal