Robert Kells, (7 April 1832 – 14 April 1905) 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 ...

Details

Kells was born in India on 7 April 1832 in Meerut.Grave locations of holders of the Victoria Cross
, accessed July 2011 When 25 years old, and a

lance-corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually equiv ...

in the 9th Lancers (The Queen's Royal),

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 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 ...

when the following deed took place on 28 September 1857 at

Bolandshahr Bulandshahr, formerly Baran, is a city and a municipal board in Bulandshahr district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bulandshahr district and part of Delhi NCR region. According to the Government ...

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 ...

for which he was awarded the VC:

Further information

He later joined the 1st Bengal European Light Cavalry (renamed the

19th Hussars The 19th Royal Hussars (Queen Alexandra's Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, created in 1858. After serving in the First World War, it was amalgamated with the 15th The King's Hussars to form the 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars ...

in 1862) and achieved the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. He retired in 1868 and was appointed a Yeoman of the Queen's (Queen Victoria) Bodyguard on 1 January 1881. In June 1901 he received the Royal Victorian Medal from

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 a ...

during an inspection of the Yeomen. Kells died on 14 April 1905 and he is buried in Lambeth cemetery in South London. His ''Victoria Cross'' medal is one of four of his on display at the regimental museum of the

9th/12th Lancers The 9th/12th Royal Lancers (Prince of Wales's) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1960 by the amalgamation of the 9th Queen's Royal Lancers and the 12th Royal Lancers. In the later years of its existence, the regiment served ...

Derby Museum and Art Gallery Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...

. These medals sold at auction in 2006 for 130,000 pounds.News Item
"Robert Kells' Victoria Cross sold at auction", accessed July 2011

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kells, Robert 1832 births 1905 deaths 19th Royal Hussars soldiers 9th Queen's Royal Lancers soldiers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British East India Company Army soldiers British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War British recipients of the Victoria Cross Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Meerut Recipients of the Royal Victorian Medal Military personnel of British India Burials in England