Major General George Alexander Renny VC (12 May 1825 – 5 January 1887) was 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 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

Renny was the son of a British merchant settled at

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

on the Baltic Sea. After moving to Scotland as a boy, he was educated at

Montrose Academy Montrose Academy is a Mixed-sex education, coeducational secondary school in Montrose Angus. The School now teaches people from ages 11–18. It became a comprehensive school in the mid-fifties and was one of a pair of Scottish schools which for ...

and

Addiscombe Military Seminary The East India Company Military Seminary was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It opened in 1809 and closed in 1861. Its purpose was to train young officers to serve in the East India ...

. In June 1844 Renny was commissioned second lieutenant in the

Bengal Horse Artillery The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

, taking part in the First Sikh War, including the

battle of Sobraon The Battle of Sobraon was fought on 10 February 1847, between the forces of the East India Company and the Sikh Khalsa Army, the army of the declining Sikh Empire of the Punjab region, Punjab. The Sikhs were completely defeated, making this the ...

on 10 February 1846. In 1849 he married Flora Hastings MacWhirter, the daughter of Dr

John MacWhirter John MacWhirter (27 March 1839 in Slateford, Edinburgh - 28 January 1911 in London) was a Scottish landscape painter. Biography John was the third of four children. One of his elder sisters, Agnes MacWhirter was also a noted artist of stil ...

, late President of the

Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) is a medical royal college in Scotland. It is one of three organisations that set the specialty training standards for physicians in the United Kingdom. It was established by royal charter i ...

. They had three sons and three daughters.

Victoria Cross action

Renny was 32 years old, and a Lieutenant in the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Gover ...

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 ...

on 16 September 1857 at

siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was a decisive conflict of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but was essentially sparked by the mass uprising by the ...

, when the following deed led to the award of the Victoria Cross: The storming of Delhi took place between 14–16 September 1857, the aim of the British being to dislodge the mutineers and retake the city. When the Delhi Field Force renewed its advance on 16 September, its progress was steady and sustained. Siege guns had been brought into the city and began battering a breach in the repaired walls of the arsenal allowing the 61st Regiment and the Baluchi Battalion to storm the building. Within the arsenal were no less than 171 guns and howitzers and a large quantity of ammunition. Realising the enormity of their loss, the mutineers mounted a serious counter-attack, covered by musketry fire from the roofs of nearby buildings. They set fire to the thatched roof of a shed containing explosives. With musket balls cracking around him and in imminent danger of being blown apart, Second Lieutenant Edward Thackeray of the Bengal Engineers extinguished the blaze. Simultaneously, Lieutenant George Renny of the Bengal Horse Artillery climbed the arsenal's wall and flung several shells with lighted fuses into the midst of the attackers. The carnage caused by the explosion of these put an end to the attack. Both Thackeray and Renny were awarded the Victoria Cross for their actions. The citation in the ''

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

'' of 12 April 1859 read:

Delhi, Indian Mutiny, 16 September 1857, Captain George Alexander Renny, Bengal Horse Artillery.
Lieutenant-Colonel Farquhar, Commanding the 1st Belooch Regiment, reports that he was in command of the troops stationed in the Delhi magazine, after its capture on 16 September 1857. Early in the forenoon of that day, a vigorous attack was made on the post by the enemy, and was kept up with great force for some time, without the slightest chance of success. Under cover of a heavy cross fire from the high houses on the right flank of the magazine, and from Selinghur and the Palace, the enemy advanced to the high wall of the magazine, and endeavoured to set fire to a thatched roof. The roof was partially set fire to, which was extinguished at the spot by a Sepoy of the Belooch battalion, a soldier of the 61st Regiment having in vain attempted to do so. The roof having been again set on fire, Captain Renny with great gallantry mounted to the top of the wall of the magazine, and flung several shells with lighted fuzes over into the midst of the enemy, which had an almost immediate effect, as the attack at once became feeble at that point, and soon after ceased there.

George Renny was invested with his Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle on 9 November 1860.

Later life

After further service during the Indian Mutiny, Renny was promoted to captain in April 1858 and to brevet major in July 1858 for his services at Delhi. Becoming a brevet lieutenant-colonel in June 1867, he commanded a battery of horse artillery during the Hazara and Black Mountain campaign of 1868. He was promoted regimental lieutenant-colonel in August 1871, and brevet colonel in August 1876. He was granted the honorary rank of major general upon retirement in December 1878. Major-General Renny died at his home in

Bath, England Bath ( RP: , ) is a city in Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 census, the population was 94,092. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, west of London and southeast of Bristol. The city becam ...

on 5 January 1887, aged 61, and is buried in Locksbrook Cemetery. In early 2007 his grave was cleaned and refurbished by

T Battery (Shah Sujah's Troop) Royal Artillery T Battery (Shah Sujah's Troop) Royal Artillery is an air defence battery of the Royal Artillery that serves with the British Army's 12 Regiment Royal Artillery. It is stationed at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island, West Sussex. Formed 1838 as ...

, successor unit of the Bengal Horse Artillery.George Renny's Grave ''Victoriacross.org''
/ref> His Victoria Cross is displayed in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery of the

Imperial War Museum The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civ ...

in London.

References

External links

Location of grave
''(Avon)'' * – shows grave before cleaning {{DEFAULTSORT:Renny, George Alexander British recipients of the Victoria Cross Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British East India Company Army officers 1825 births 1887 deaths People from Croydon British military personnel of the First Anglo-Sikh War British Army major generals Royal Artillery officers Graduates of Addiscombe Military Seminary Burials at Locksbrook Cemetery, Bath