Charles Irwin, VC (c. 1824 – 8 April 1873), was born in

Manorhamilton Manorhamilton () is the second-largest town in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is located on the N16 from Sligo and from Enniskillen. History Before the Plantations of Ireland, the settlement was known, and continues to be known in the ...

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim, County Leitr ...

, and was an Irish 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.

Details

Irwin was approximately 33 years old, and a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the 53rd Regiment of Foot (later The King's Shropshire Light Infantry),

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 ...

during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place on 16 November 1857 at the Relief of Lucknow for which he was awarded the VC:

Further information

Service Record: * 18th Regiment of Foot * 3168 53rd Shropshire Regiment * 87th Regiment of Foot between Jan 1860 – 30 June 1860. His entry in the Canon Lummis files states that: "Judging from numerous entries in the muster roles as to imprisonment, he appears to have been a bad hat." He died on 29 March 1873 at Newtownbutler,

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of and had a population of 63,585 as of 2021. Enniskillen is the ...

, Ireland, and was buried in Saint Mark's Churchyard ( Aghadrumsee), near

Magheraveely Magheraveely () is a small village in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census, it had a population of people 254. It is within the Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area. The village is north-east ...

in the south-east of County Fermanagh.

Medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at The King's Shropshire Light Infantry Museum.

References

Listed in order of publication year *''

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 f ...

'' (1981, 1988 and 1997) * *''

Ireland's VCs List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...

'' (Dept of Economic Development, 1995) *''

Monuments to Courage David Charles Harvey (29 July 1946 – 4 March 2004) was a British historian and author. He is notable for his seminal work, ''Monuments To Courage'', which documents the graves of almost all recipients of the Victoria Cross, a task that took ...

'' (David Harvey, 1999) *''

Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross List of Irish Victoria Cross recipients lists all recipients of the Victoria Cross (post-nominal letters "VC") born on the island of Ireland, together with the date and place of their VC action. The Victoria Cross is the highest war honour of ...

'' (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin, Charles 1820s births 1873 deaths 19th-century Irish people British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross King's Shropshire Light Infantry soldiers People from Manorhamilton Royal Irish Fusiliers soldiers Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) soldiers Military personnel from County Leitrim