Lieutenant-General Sir Wilbraham Oates Lennox (4 August 1830 – 7 February 1897) 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 ...

(VC), 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. He was the first

Royal Engineer 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 ...

officer to win the VC.

Early life

Lennox was born at Goodwood, West Sussex, the son of

Lord John Lennox Lieutenant-Colonel Lord John George Lennox (3 October 1793 – 10 November 1873), was a British soldier and Whig politician. John George Lennox was born 3 October 1793, the second son of Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond, and the former Lad ...

and Louisa Frederica Rodney, and the grandson of Charles Lennox, Duke of Richmond and Captain John Rodney, RN. Lennox attended the

Royal Military Academy, Woolwich The Royal Military Academy (RMA) at Woolwich, in south-east London, was a British Army military academy for the training of commissioned officers of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. It later also trained officers of the Royal Corps of Sig ...

, and in June 1848 was commissioned second-lieutenant in the

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 ...

. After further training he was posted to

Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

in 1850, leaving in 1854 to take part in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

. Here he took part in the Battle of Inkerman and the Siege of Sevastopol.

VC action

Lennox was a 24 years old

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 sub ...

in the Corps of

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 ...

, at the Siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War, when he was awarded the VC for his: For his Crimea service, Lennox was also

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and received the Ottoman

Order of the Medjidieh Order of the Medjidie ( ota, نشانِ مجیدی, August 29, 1852 – 1922) is a military and civilian order of the Ottoman Empire. The Order was instituted in 1851 by Sultan Abdulmejid I. History Instituted in 1851, the Order was awarded in f ...

(fifth class) and the Sardinian

Medal of Military Valor The Medal of Military Valor (Italian language: ''Medaglia al valor militare'') is an Italian medal, originally established as a Sardinian award. It is awarded to military personnel, units above the level of company, and civilians for excepti ...

Later career

Returning to England in August 1856, Lennox left again in April 1857 for

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. His engineer company was however diverted to India and served in 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 ...

. After service 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 ...

, Lennox was mentioned in dispatches and received

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

promotions of major and lieutenant-colonel. He left India in March 1859, and was on the staff of the School of Military Engineering, Chatham from 1866 to 1873. In March 1867 he was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

(CB). Lennox was attached as an observer to the German army during the 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War, and attended Prussian military manoeuvres in 1869 and 1872. After home service, he became military attaché at

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

in October 1876, and accompanied the Turkish armies during the Russo-Turkish War. He commanded the Royal Engineers at the Curragh, Ireland, from 1878 until his promotion to major-general in August 1881. From August 1884 he commanded the garrison at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Egypt, and was responsible for landing the troops and stores for the 1884–85

Gordon relief expedition The Nile Expedition, sometimes called the Gordon Relief Expedition (1884–85), was a British mission to relieve Major-General Charles George Gordon at Khartoum, Sudan. Gordon had been sent to the Sudan to help Egyptians evacuate from Sudan af ...

. In April 1887 he moved to command the troops in Ceylon, returning home in 1888 on promotion to lieutenant-general. He was made a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

(KCB) in May 1891 and was director-general of military education at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

from January 1893 until his retirement in May 1895. Lennox died at his home in

Pimlico Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by London V ...

, London, on 7 February 1897, aged 66.

Family

Lennox was married twice. The first marriage was to Mary Harriet Harris, and produced two children: Gerald Wilbraham Stuart Lennox, born on 29 April 1862, and Lilian Emily Lennox, born on 19 July 1863. Mrs Lennox died soon after, on 22 July 1863, and her infant daughter died a few days later, on 3 August 1863. The second marriage was to Susan Hay Sinclair, a descendant of the

Sinclair-Lockhart baronets The Sinclair (later Sinclair-Lockhart) Baronetcy of Stevenson in the County of Haddington, is a title in the Baronetage of Nova Scotia. It was created on 18 June 1636 for John Sinclair of Stevenson, with remainder to his heirs male whatsoever. Th ...

. This marriage produced five children.

Legacy

Lennox was buried in the family plot in Lewes Road (Woodvale) Cemetery,

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. In 2013 the Victoria Cross Trust launched a campaign to raise £25,000 to restore his grave, that had been neglected and was in a state of disrepair. Lennox's medals, including his Victoria Cross, are displayed at the

Royal Engineers Museum The Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive is a military engineering museum and library in Gillingham, Kent. It tells the story of the Corps of Royal Engineers and British military engineering in general. History The 'Ravelin Building', ...

Gillingham, Kent Gillingham ( ) is a large town in the unitary authority area of Medway in the ceremonial county of Kent, England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Strood and Rainham. It is also the largest town in the ...

. Lennox Row, a road in Brompton, Gillingham, Kent is named after him.Photos of Lennox Row, Brompton; and the plaque appearing in the Row.

References

*''

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 36 ...

'' (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 fol ...

'' (This England, 1997) *''

The Sapper VCs 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 ...

'' (Gerald Napier, 1998)

External links

Royal Engineers Museum
Sappers VCs

''(East Sussex)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Lennox, Wilbraham 1830 births 1897 deaths People from Chichester British recipients of the Victoria Cross Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British Army personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War Royal Engineers officers British Army lieutenant generals Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross