Robert Grant VC (1837 – 23 November 1874) 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

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and Commonwealth forces.

Military service

Grant was approximately 20 years old, and a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

(subsequently promoted to sergeant) in the 1st Battalion,

5th Regiment of Foot Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash that ...

(later The Northumberland Fusiliers),

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 Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place at Alumbagh for which he was awarded the VC. The citation was published in ''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'' is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are ...

'' of 19 June 1860, and initially Grant was incorrectly named as Ewart, which was corrected in a subsequent ''Gazette'' of 12 October 1860. The citation read:

Police service

He later became a constable in the Metropolitan Police, and served in the Y Division Holloway area until his death of what was then commonly known as

consumption Consumption may refer to: *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically * Consumption (ecology), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of newly produced goods for curren ...

in 1874. He was buried, at the expense of the parish, in a paupers' grave, number 15054, in

Highgate Cemetery Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...

, North London. The grave (with modern headstone) lies on the eastern mid-way path just off the main western path. A replica of his Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland The Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland, formerly the Northumberland Fusiliers Museum, is a museum located within the Abbot's Tower of Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, Northumberland, England. History The museum was first established at Fenham Barra ...

Alnwick Castle Alnwick Castle () is a castle and country house in Alnwick in the English county of Northumberland. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a G ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land ...

. In 2007 and 2008 moves were made to properly commemorate both his military and police service with a memorial stone to be unveiled by the head of London's police service, Sir

Ian Blair Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, (born 19 March 1953) is a British retired policeman who held the position of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2005 to 2008 and was the highest-ranking officer within the Metropolitan Pol ...

. He is also commemorated in his home town of

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

with a plaque at the War Memorial.Harrogate Council

References

External links

Image of Fusilier Museum display
with tinted photograph of Grant in uniform and his VC medal

''(N. London)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Robert 1837 births 1874 deaths British recipients of the Victoria Cross Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Northumberland Fusiliers soldiers Metropolitan Police officers Burials at Highgate Cemetery 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis People from Harrogate British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Tuberculosis deaths in England Military personnel from Yorkshire