Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Aylmer Spicer Cameron (12 August 1833 – 10 June 1909) was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer and recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces.

Life

Cameron was born in

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

on 12 August 1833 into a military family. He was the son of Colonel William Gordon Cameron,

Grenadier Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

, and grandson of General William Neville Cameron of the East India Company's service. He had four brothers in the Army and Navy, including General Sir William Gordon Cameron. Four of his five sons served in the armed forces,Obituary of Aylmer Cameron. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', 12 June 1909, page 11. including Major Cecil Aylmer Cameron. His daughter, Esme Gordon, married Vice Admiral Joseph Charles Walrond Henley, CB. Aylmer Cameron was commissioned as an

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the 72nd Highlanders,

, on 9 July 1852, and promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in August 1854. He took part in the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

and was present at the siege of Sebastopol in 1855, before going to India after the outbreak of 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 form ...

in 1857. He was a member of the Bath and County Club.

VC action

Cameron was 24 years old, and a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the 72nd Highlanders during the

when the following deed took place on 30 March 1858 at Kotah,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

for which he was awarded the VC: In addition to receiving the VC, for his services in India Cameron was twice

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) 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 of t ...

and, in December 1859, was promoted to captain.

Later service

In June 1871 Cameron was promoted to major in the King’s Own Scottish Borderers (25th Foot), becoming a lieutenant-colonel in October 1877 and colonel in July 1881. He served as a staff officer in Canada from 1879 to 1881, and commanded the 2nd Battalion King’s Own Scottish Borderers from July 1881 to 1883. He was chief of the Intelligence Branch at Army Headquarters from 1883 to 1886, and

Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...

from 1886 to 1888. He was made a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

in May 1886, and retired in August 1888. He died, after a long period of ill-health, on 10 June 1909 aged 75, and is buried in St Mark's Churchyard,

Highcliffe Highcliffe or Highcliffe-on-Sea is a seaside town in the civil parish of Highcliffe and Walkford, in the unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, in the ceremonial county of Dorset in Englan ...

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Regimental Museum of Queens Own Highlanders in Fort George,

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

, Scotland.Grave location for holders of the Victoria Cross
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Aylmer 1833 births 1909 deaths Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross 72nd Highlanders officers British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Order of the Bath Burials in Dorset British Army personnel of the Crimean War King's Own Scottish Borderers officers Commandants of Sandhurst Military personnel from Perth, Scotland British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army colonels