Major General Hugh Shaw (4 February 1839 – 25 August 1904) was a senior

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.

Early life

Shaw was born in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

, on 4 February 1839, the son of James Shaw, an Inspector General of Hospitals in Madras, and Ann Hay. He married Emily Grace Sheffield on 21 June 1870.

Victoria Cross

Shaw was 25 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 18th Regiment (later The Royal Irish Regiment), during the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

on 24 January 1865 when the following deed led to the award of the Victoria Cross: Grave of Hugh Shaw V

He later achieved the rank of Major General. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

National Army Museum The National Army Museum is the British Army's central museum. It is located in the Chelsea district of central London, adjacent to the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the home of the " Chelsea Pensioners". The museum is a non-departmental public bod ...

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an area in West London, England, due south-west of Kilometre zero#Great Britain, Charing Cross by approximately . It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the SW postcode area, south-western p ...

References

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Hampshire)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Hugh British Army major generals New Zealand Wars recipients of the Victoria Cross British recipients of the Victoria Cross 1839 births 1904 deaths British military personnel of the New Zealand Wars Military personnel from Chennai Royal Irish Regiment (1684–1922) officers British Army personnel of the Crimean War British military personnel of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Afghan War British Army personnel of the Mahdist War Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials in Hampshire