Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Sir Luke O'Connor, (20 January 1831 – 1 February 1915) was an Irish soldier who served in the

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 Gur ...

. He was the first soldier to receive 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 ...

, Britain's highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy.

Background

Luke O'Connor was born in Kilcroy, Hillstreet, in the parish of Aughrim, Co Roscommon in Ireland. He was born to James O'Connor (born 1800) and Mary Gannon. He and his family were evicted from their farm because they were unable to pay the rent and decided to move to North America in 1839 in search of opportunity. His father James died at sea en route and his mother and a baby brother died at

Grosse Isle, Quebec Grosse Isle (french: Grosse Île, "big island") is an island located in the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada. It is one of the islands of the 21-island Isle-aux-Grues archipelago. It is part of the municipality of Saint-Antoine-de-l'Is ...

on arrival of cholera. Although Luke returned to Ireland as a boy, some of his other siblings remained in North America and fought in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

Military

He enlisted in the British Army as a young man. At the age of 23, he was a sergeant in the

23rd Regiment of Foot Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * High ...

(later

The Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designat ...

). During 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 t ...

, the 23rd Foot were part of the British force sent to the Crimea. On 20 September 1854, at the

Battle of the Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) was a battle in the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Septemb ...

, Sergeant O'Connor was advancing between two officers, carrying the Colour, when one of them was mortally wounded. Sergeant O'Connor was also shot at the same time, but recovering himself, he snatched up the Colour from the ground and continued to carry it until the end of the action, although urged to retire to the rear on account of his wounds. He also acted with great gallantry at the assault on the Redan (8 September 1855) where he was shot through both thighs. The Victoria Cross did not exist at that time, but when it was created in 1856 O'Connor was one of the 62 Crimean veterans invested with it during a ceremony in Hyde Park. He was the first recipient from the Army, as opposed to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. He later achieved the rank of major-general and was appointed Colonel of his old regiment on 3 June 1914. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, a historic regiment of the British Army. The museum is located within Caernarfon Castle in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, North Wales. Admission is incl ...

Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon Castle ( cy, Castell Caernarfon ) – often anglicised as Carnarvon Castle or Caernarvon Castle – is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, Gwynedd, north-west Wales cared for by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic envir ...

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the North West Wales, north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County B ...

, Wales.

Death

He died in Clarges Street, London, on 1 February 1915.''The Times'', 4 February 1915, page 1 He is buried at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.

References

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 ...

(1981, 1988 and 1997) *Clarke, Brian (1986). ''The Irish Sword'' * *

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(W. London)''
Luke O'Connor page in Helen's Family Trees website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Luke 1831 births 1915 deaths Military personnel from County Roscommon 19th-century Irish people Irish officers in the British Army People from County Roscommon Royal Welch Fusiliers soldiers British Army generals Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Royal Welch Fusiliers officers British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green

Background

Military

Death

See also

References

External links