Major General Sir Henry Tombs VC KCB (10 November 1824 – 2 August 1874) 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 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.

Early life

Henry Tombs was born at sea on passage to India on 10 November 1824. He was the youngest of seven to Major-General John Tombs, Bengal cavalry, and Mary Remington. He was sent back to England for an education during which time he studied at

John Roysse John Roysse (1500 or 1501–1571) was an English mercer and benefactor of Abingdon School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Personal life John Roysse was probably connected with the Roysse family of East Hagbourne but there are few records appertainin ...

's Free School in

Abingdon-on-Thames Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in the Vale of the White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. The Historic counties of England, historic county town of Berksh ...

(now

Abingdon School Abingdon School is an independent day and boarding school in Abingdon-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. It is the List of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom, twentieth oldest Independent School (UK), independent British school. In May 202 ...

). At the age of 15 he entered the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

's Military Seminary at Addiscombe, graduating in June 1841 and receiving a commission 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 ...

. In 1869 he married Georgina Janet Stirling, the youngest daughter of Admiral Sir James Stirling. Their grandson Joseph Tombs received the VC for actions during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Military career

Tombs received his commission as second lieutenant in the Bengal Horse Artillery on 11 June 1841, and first saw active service aged 19 during the

Gwalior campaign The Gwalior campaign was fought between the British and Scindia forces in Gwalior in India, December 1843. Background The Maratha Empire had controlled most of central and northern India but fell to the British in 1818, giving the British ...

. He distinguished himself while fighting at the December 1843 battle of Punniar with the No.16 Light Field Battery (horsedrawn), and was

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 awarded the Punniar Star. During the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...

(1845–1846) Tombs commanded a horse artillery

troop A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section or platoon. Exceptions are the US Cavalry and the King's Troo ...

at the battles of Moodkee and Ferozeshah, and was Aide-de-Camp to Lieutenant-General

Sir Harry Smith Lieutenant-General Sir Henry George Wakelyn Smith, 1st Baronet, GCB (28 June 1787 – 12 October 1860) was a notable English soldier and military commander in the British Army of the early 19th century. A veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, he is a ...

at the battle of Aliwal. He was awarded a

Sutlej Medal The Sutlej Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1846, for issue to officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company who served in the Sutlej campaign of 1845–46 (also known as the First Anglo-Sikh War). This medal was the ...

with two clasps (for Ferozeshuhur and Aliwal) in 1848. During the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...

(1848–1849), he served as Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General of Artillery. He was present at the battles of Ramnagar, Chillianwallah and Goojerat. He received the Punjab Medal with two clasps (for Chillianwallah and Goojerat) and was mentioned in dispatches. In 1854 he was promoted brevet

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 ...

for his services in the field. Tombs saw service for a fourth time during the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

–1858, during which he commanded a troop of Horse Artillery. On 31 May 1857 his horse was shot from beneath him for the first time. He fought at the Battle of Badli-ki-Serai, where two horses were shot from under him. He was also present at the

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 ...

, during which he commanded the Bengal Horse Artillery contingent. It was during this siege, on 9 July 1857 that he performed the act of gallantry for which he was to be awarded the

. As a result of his and his troops' gallantry the unit was awarded the title of Tombs's Troop, which – as 28/143 Battery (Tombs's Troop), part of 19th Regiment Royal Artillery – it still carries to this day.

Victoria Cross

At the age of thirty-one, when a

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 ...

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 ...

, the following deed took place at the

for which he and James Hills were awarded the VC:

Later career

For services at the siege of Delhi, Tombs was promoted brevet lieutenant-colonel and 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 January 1858. In March 1858 he took part in the siege and capture of

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

before participating in a number of minor operations. He was promoted brevet colonel in July 1858, and lieutenant-colonel,

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

, in April 1861. In 1864, as a brigadier-general, he served in the

Bhutan War The Duar War (or Anglo-Bhutanese War) was a war fought between British Raj, British India and Bhutan in 1864 to 1865. It has been the only military conflict between the two states since 1774. Background Across the nineteenth century, British ...

, commanding the force which recaptured Dewangiri Fort. Promoted major-general in March 1867 and made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in March 1868, Tombs was appointed to command a division in 1871, first at

Allahabad Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

, then at

Oudh The Kingdom of Awadh (, , also Oudh State, Kingdom of Oudh, Awadh Subah, or Awadh State) was a Mughal subah, then an independent kingdom, and lastly a British protectorate in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the Br ...

. In 1874 he resigned his command due to ill health and died at

Newport, Isle of Wight Newport is the county town of the Isle of Wight, an island county off the south coast of England. The town is slightly north of the centre of the island, located in the civil parish of Newport and Carisbrooke. It has a quay at the head of the n ...

, on 2 August 1874, aged 49.

Assessment

Field Marshall

Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts (30 September 1832 – 14 November 1914), was a British Victorian era general who became one of the most successful British military commanders of his time. ...

, another junior officer in the Bengal Horse Artillery during the Indian Rebellion, and a recipient of the VC himself (Khudaganj, 2 January 1858) later wrote:

The hero of the day hen he won the VCwas Harry Tombs … an unusually handsome man and a thorough soldier. … I had always heard of Tombs as one of the best officers in the regiment. …. As a cool, bold leader of men Tombs was unsurpassed: no fire, however hot, and no crisis, however unexpected, could take him by surprise; he grasped the situation in a moment, and issued his orders without hesitation, inspiring all ranks with confidence in his power and capacity. He was somewhat of a martinet, and was more feared than liked by his men until they realized what a grand leader he was, when they gave him their entire confidence, and were ready to follow him anywhere and everywhere.

At news of Tombs's death, the

Commander-in-Chief, India During the period of the Company and Crown rule in India, the Commander-in-Chief, India (often "Commander-in-Chief ''in'' or ''of'' India") was the supreme commander of the Indian Army from 1833 to 1947. The Commander-in-Chief and most of his ...

, Lord Napier issued a general order expressing regret at the loss of "so distinguished an officer".

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Royal Artillery Museum The Royal Artillery Museum, which was one of the world's oldest military museums, was first opened to the public in Woolwich in southeast London in 1820. It told the story of the development of artillery through the ages by way of a collection o ...

Woolwich Woolwich () is a town in South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was mainta ...

, London.Location of Victoria Crosses: ''www.victoriacross.org.uk''
/ref>

References

Sources

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) *

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) *Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995) *''Tombs of Abingdon'' (Nigel Hammond, Oxfordshire Family Historian, December 2004) *"Memoir of Major-General Sir Henry Tombs" (Royal Artillery Institution, 1913) *"Memoir of Major-General Sir Henry Marion Duran" (Volume 1, 1883) *"The New Army List; The Bank, Standing, and Various Services Regimental Officer in the Army Serving on Full Pay, Including the Royal Marines and Indian Staff Corps" (1869) *"The memoirs of the Gemini Generals: personal anecdotes, sporting adventures, and sketches of distinguished officers" (A. D. Innes, 1896)
oxford Dictionary of National Biography
(1885–1900, Volume 57) *

External links

Details of Tombs grave.
''Friends of Newport & Carisbrooke Cemeteries''

''www.victoriacross.org.uk''
East India Company BirthsSir Henry Tombs: biography.
''VConline.org.uk'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Tombs, Henry 1824 births 1874 deaths People educated at Abingdon School Graduates of Addiscombe Military Seminary British recipients of the Victoria Cross Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel of the Bhutan War British military personnel of the First Anglo-Sikh War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Sikh War Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Military personnel from Kolkata British Army major generals Royal Artillery officers Bengal Artillery officers Tombs family People born at sea