Colonel Sir Henry Wilmot, 5th Baronet (3 February 1831 – 7 April 1901) was an
English
English usually refers to:
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* 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 forces. He was also a
Conservative Party politician.
Early life
Wilmot was born in
Chaddesden
Chaddesden, also known locally as Chadd, is a large residential suburb of Derby, United Kingdom. Historically a separate village centred on Chaddesden Hall and the 14th century St Mary's Church, the area was significantly expanded by 20th-centu ...
,
[ near ]Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...
the son of Sir Henry Wilmot (4th Baronet) and his wife Maria Mundy daughter of Edmund Mundy of Shipley Hall
Shipley Hall was a country estate in Shipley, Derbyshire near Heanor and Ilkeston which now forms a Country Park.
Early history
The Shipley estate is an ancient manor that was mentioned in the Domesday Book. From the 14th century the land w ...
. He was educated at Rugby School
Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England.
Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...
.[
]
Military career
Wilmot purchased a commission as an Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
in the 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot
The 43rd (Monmouthshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1741. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 52nd (Oxfordshire) Regiment of Foot (Light Infantry) to form the 1st and 2nd battalions of th ...
. Two years later he purchased a Lieutenancy and in 1855 purchased a Captaincy in the same regiment. Later in 1855 he transferred to the Rifle Brigade, still as a Captain.
Wilmot served as a captain in the 2nd Battalion, The Rifle Brigade (Prince Consort's Own)
The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...
and later was on the staff of Brigadier General Hope Grant. It was while assigned to the staff that he fought in the Indian Mutiny; on 11 March 1858 at Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
, 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 ...
, along with Private David Hawkes and Corporal William Nash, the following deed led to his being awarded the Victoria Cross:
Later, he served in the Central Indian campaign of 1858 and the Second China War
The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...
.
In 1862, Wilmot retired from the regular army having been appointed a Major in the Volunteer Force
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...
unit, the 1st Administrative Battalion, Derbyshire Rifle Volunteers. Appointment as lieutenant colonel of the Derbyshire Rifle Volunteers followed in 1863. Further recognition was made in 1868 when Wilmot was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
In 1881 he was granted the honorary 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 ...
of the Derbyshire Rifle Volunteers, prior to resigning his commission and being appointed honorary Colonel of the Derbyshire Rifle Corps. With the expansion of the Volunteer Force Wilmot was appointed as brigade commander of the North Midland Brigade in 1888 with the substantive rank of Colonel in the Volunteer Forces an appointment he held until 1895.
Personal life
Wilmot married Charlotte Pare (1838–1891) in 1862.[ He succeeded to the baronetcy of Wilmot of Chaddesden on the death of his father in 1872][ and was made a ]Companion of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...
in the Civil Division of the Order (CB) in 1881. A final honour in 1898 was to be appointed a Knight Commander of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as on ...
(KCB).
Henry Wilmot died of pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
on 7 April 1901 at his home in Bournemouth[ and was buried at St Mary's Church, Chaddesden.]
Political career
Wilmot sat as a Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
(MP) for South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district ...
from 1869
Events
January–March
* January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan.
* January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded.
* January 20 & ...
to 1885.[ He was also an ]alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...
of Derbyshire and had been chairman of the County Council.[
]
Notes
Further reading
*Monuments to Courage
David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took him over 3 ...
(David Harvey, 1999)
*The Register of the Victoria Cross
''The Register of the Victoria Cross'' is a reference work that provides brief information on every Victoria Cross awarded until the publication date. Each entry provides a summary of the deed, along with a photograph of the recipient and the fo ...
(This England, 1997)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmot, Henry
1831 births
1901 deaths
Burials in Derbyshire
Baronets in the Baronetage of Great Britain
People from Chaddesden
Military personnel from Derbyshire
Rifle Brigade officers
British recipients of the Victoria Cross
Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Derbyshire
Sherwood Foresters officers
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
British Army personnel of the Second Opium War
Volunteer Force officers
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
Deputy Lieutenants of Derbyshire
43rd Regiment of Foot officers
Deaths from pneumonia in England
People educated at Rugby School
UK MPs 1868–1874
UK MPs 1874–1880
UK MPs 1880–1885