Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Francis Edward Henry Farquharson VC (25 March 1837 – 12 September 1875) was a Scottish 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 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.

Early life

He was born in Glasgow on 25 March 1837 the son of Robert Farquharson, a thread manufacturer living at 7 St James Place.

Details

He was 20 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

42nd Regiment of Foot The 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment of Foot was a Scottish infantry regiment in the British Army also known as the Black Watch. Originally titled Crawford's Highlanders or the Highland Regiment (mustered 1739) and numbered 43rd in the line, in 17 ...

(later The

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

(Royal Highlanders)),

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 9 March 1858 at Lucknow, India for which he was awarded the VC:

Later life

He later achieved the rank of

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. He fell ill during the Ashanti campaign of 1874 and retired from active service. He died at Dundrige in Harberton in

Devonshire Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the wes ...

on 12 September 1875. He is buried a few metres east of the entrance to St Andrew's Church in Harberton.A stained glass window to his memory lies within the church. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Black Watch Museum in

Perth, Scotland Perth (; ) is a centrally located Cities of Scotland, Scottish city, on the banks of the River Tay. It is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and is the historic county town of Perthshire. It had a population of about ...

together with his four other campaign medals: the Crimea Medal ( Sebastopol); Indian Mutiny Medal (Lucknow); Ashanti Medal (Coomassie); and the Turkish Crimea Medal.

Artistic recognition

He was painted with fellow officers by Orlando Norie.

References

*''Scotland's Forgotten Valour'' (Graham Ross, 1995) *''

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 ...

'' (This England, 1997) *''

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)

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Devonshire)'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farquharson, Francis Edward Henry 1837 births 1875 deaths Military personnel from Glasgow British recipients of the Victoria Cross Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross 42nd Regiment of Foot officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross