William Coffey VC DCM (5 August 1829 – 13 July 1875), born in Knocklong, County Limerick, was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, 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.

Details

He was 25 years old, and a private in the 34th Regiment (later The Border Regiment), British Army during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. On 29 March 1855 at Sebastopol, the Crimea, Private Coffey threw a live shell, which had fallen into a trench, over the parapet and thus saved many lives.

Further information

Coffey was posted to Indian fighting 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 ...

. He 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 ...

. It was reported that he died by suicide (shot himself) in the Army drill shed Sheffield, 13 July 1875. However his death certificate shows he died of dysentery at Stonegravels, Chesterfield. He was buried in Spital cemetery, Chesterfield. Originally he was buried in an unmarked, common plot but in 1970 a stone, provided by the Border Regiment, was put on his grave following a service.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at Cumbria's Museum of Military Life

Carlisle Castle Carlisle Castle is a medieval stone keep castle that stands within the English city of Carlisle near the ruins of Hadrian's Wall. First built during the reign of William II in 1093 and rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122, the castle is over ...

, Cumbria, England.

References

Listed in order of publication year *'' The Register of the Victoria Cross'' (1981, 1988 and 1997) * *'' Ireland's VCs'' (Dept of Economic Development, 1995) *'' Monuments to Courage'' (David Harvey, 1999) *'' Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross'' (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Derbyshire)''
The Story of Sergeant William Coffey VC DCM
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffey, William Irish 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 Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Border Regiment soldiers Military personnel from County Limerick 1829 births 1875 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the British Army British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials in Derbyshire