Alexander Wright
VC (1826 – 28 July 1858) was a
British Army soldier and an Irish recipient of the
Victoria Cross, 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.
Background
Alexander Wright was born in
Ballymena
Ballymena ( ; from ga, an Baile Meánach , meaning 'the middle townland') is a town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is part of the Borough of Mid and East Antrim.
The town is built on land given to the Adair family by King Charles I i ...
, in what is now Northern Ireland.
Details
He was about 29 years old, and a
private in the
77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot
The 77th (East Middlesex) Regiment of Foot (The Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line regiment of the British Army, raised in 1787. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot to form the Duke of Cam ...
(later
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own)
The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1966. The regiment was formed, as the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment), in 1881 as part of the Childers R ...
), British Army during the
Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 22 March 1855 at the
Siege of Sebastopol
A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
, in the
Crimean Peninsula, Private Wright distinguished himself in repelling a sortie. On 19 April he showed great bravery at the taking of the Russian Rifle Pits and was particularly noticed for the encouragement he gave the other men while holding the Pits under very heavy fire; he was wounded in this action. He again showed great courage on 30 August 1855, and throughout the war.
Wright and
John Park were the only two soldiers of the 77th Regiment awarded the Victoria Cross for the Crimean War. In 1857, both were with their regiment when it was allotted to New South Wales and missed the first VC investiture at Hyde Park, London, on 26 June 1857. The medals were sent to the General Officer Commanding New South Wales who presented the medals in Sydney in 1858 as the regiment was preparing to sail to India. Craig Wilcox notes ‘The Victoria Crosses awarded Sergeant Park and Private Wright of the 77th Regiment were conferred hastily, almost furtively, as the regiment was about to leave Sydney, to help suppress the Indian Mutiny’.
He was killed in action on 28 July 1858 during intense fighting in Calcutta. His body was not recovered and he has no known grave.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the
Museum in
Dover Castle, England.
References
Sources
Profile*''
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)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Alexander
1826 births
1858 deaths
19th-century Irish people
Irish soldiers in the British Army
People from Ballymena
Middlesex Regiment soldiers
Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross
Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross
Military personnel from County Antrim
British Army personnel of the Crimean War
British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross
British military personnel killed in the Indian Rebellion of 1857