Major General Edward William Derrington Bell, (18 May 1824 – 10 November 1879) 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 a 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 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. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

forces.

Military career

Bell was the son of General Edward Wells Bell and entered 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 ...

, in 1838 at the age of 14. He was commissioned into the

in 1842 and was posted to Canada. He was promoted to captain in December 1848 and, during 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 ...

, was present at the Battles of Alma and

Inkerman Inkerman (; ; ) is a city in the Crimean peninsula. It is '' de facto'' within the federal city of Sevastopol within the Russian Federation, but ''de jure'' within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea within Ukraine. It lies 5 kilometres (3 miles ...

and the

Siege of Sebastopol A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characte ...

. Bell was 30 years old, and a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...

(later The Royal Welch Fusiliers) during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the

(VC). He was personally presented with the Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria at Southsea Common, Portsmouth, Hants on 2 August 1858.''The Victoria Cross and the George Cross: The Complete History'' - Volume 1 1854-1914, Published by Methuen, London, 2013, , pp. 9–10 Bell was also awarded the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

by the French, and the Turkish War Medal. Posted to India during 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 present at the

Siege of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British The Residency, Lucknow, Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's Army) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After ...

. After India, he commanded the 2nd Battalion of the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

for the next 12 years until 1872, achieving the rank of major general in 1868. His last command was in Belfast, where he died in 1879.

Personal life

Bell is buried with his father in the churchyard at

Kempsey, Worcestershire Kempsey is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England. It is bounded by the River Severn on the west, and the A38 main road runs through it and is about south of Worcester. The village ...

. He had married twice; firstly Alice Brooke, whom he divorced for her adultery, disowning her son, and secondly Charlotte Wadsworth (née Bartell), widow of surgeon John Davies, who was killed at the Alma, with whom he had a son and three daughters.

References

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Worcestershire)''

''(grave details and brief biography)'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Edward William Derrington 1824 births 1879 deaths People from Essex Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Royal Welch Fusiliers officers Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of the Crimean War British Army major generals British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Order of the Bath British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Knights of the Legion of Honour British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross