Brigadier-General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Wallace Duffield Wright, (20 September 1875 – 25 March 1953) was a British soldier and politician. He 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 ...

, the highest 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.

Early life

Wright, the son of James Sykes Wright was born in Gibraltar on 20 September 1875. He was educated at

Cranbrook School, Kent Cranbrook School (formerly Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School) is a co-educational state funded boarding and day grammar school in the market town of Cranbrook, Kent, England. Selection is made of pupils at age 11 and 13. History The school w ...

. He joined the Militia in 1893, and was commissioned into the 1st Battalion of the

Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey) was a line infantry regiment of the English and later the British Army from 1661 to 1959. It was the senior English line infantry regiment of the British Army, behind only the Royal Scots in the British Arm ...

in December 1896. Wright and served with the

Malakand Field Force The siege of Malakand was the 26 July – 2 August 1897 siege of the British garrison in the Malakand region of colonial British India's North West Frontier Province.Nevill p. 232 The British faced a force of Pashtun tribesmen whose tribal lands ...

and the Tirah Expeditionary Force on the North West Frontier (1897–1898), during which he was severely wounded. He was awarded the Indian Frontier Medal with clasps for the Punjab Frontier and Tirah and was promoted to Lieutenant in September 1898.

Victoria Cross action

In 1901 Wright was sent to North

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, where he was attached to the

Northern Nigeria Regiment Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

, during the West African Kano-Sokoto Expedition. On 26 February 1903 in Nigeria, "Lieutenant Wright, with only one

ther Ther may refer to: *''Thér.'', taxonomic author abbreviation of Irénée Thériot (1859–1947), French bryologist * Agroha Mound, archaeological site in Agroha, Hisar district, India *Therapy *Therapeutic drugs See also *''Ther Thiruvizha ''T ...

Officer and 44 men took up a position in the path of the advancing enemy sustained the determined charges of 1,000 Horse and 2,000 Foot for two hours and when the enemy, after heavy losses, fell back in good order, Lieutenant Wright continued to follow them up until they were in full retreat. The personal example of this Officer, as well as his skillful leadership, contributed largely to the brilliant success of the affair. He in no way infringed his orders by his daring initiative, as, though warned of the possibility of meeting large bodies of the enemy, he had purposely been left a free hand."

As Member of Parliament

In 1928, Wright was elected at a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

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 of ...

(MP) for

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...

following the death of the sitting MP

Philip Kenyon-Slaney Major Philip Percy Kenyon-Slaney (12 February 1896 – 9 September 1928) was a British Conservative Party politician. Kenyon-Slaney was son of Percy Kenyon-Slaney (1861–1911) and his wife, Geraldine Ellen Georgina, daughter of the Reverend Ge ...

. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election, but stood down at the 1931 general election. His VC was destroyed in the fire at The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Museum,

Clandon Park Clandon Park House is an early 18th-century grade I listed Palladian mansion in West Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey. It stands in the south east corner of Clandon Park, a agricultural parkland estate which has been the seat of the Earls of ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

on the afternoon of 29 April 2015.

Honours and awards

References

External links

*
Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment: Wallace Duffield Wright
''(Brookwood Cemetery)''
The Brookwood Cemetery Society
''(Known Holders of the Victoria Cross Commemorated in Brookwood Cemetery)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Wallace Duffield 1875 births 1953 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1924–1929 UK MPs 1929–1931 British Army generals Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Distinguished Service Order British recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at Brookwood Cemetery Queen's Royal Regiment officers British military personnel of the Malakand Frontier War British military personnel of the Tirah campaign British Army personnel of World War I Royal West African Frontier Force officers British Home Guard officers Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms British military personnel of the Kano-Sokoto Expedition Gibraltarians British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross People from colonial Nigeria Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Tavistock