James McGuire (VC)
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James McGuire VC (c. 1827 – 22 December 1862) was an Irish 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 British military decoration. It was awarded for gallantry in the face of the enemy. The VC was later forfeited.


Details

McGuire was about 30 years old and a
sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
in the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers (later the
Royal Munster Fusiliers The Royal Munster Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1922. It traced its origins to the East India Company, East India Company's Bengal European Regiment raised in 1652, which later became the 101st Regiment ...
),
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 when the following deed took place on 14 September 1857 at
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, for which he together with Drummer Miles Ryan was awarded the VC:


Further information

McGuire's VC was forfeited after he was convicted of stealing a cow, making him one of eight men to lose their VCs. He died in
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
, Ireland, 22 December 1862.


Medal's location

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 ...
in Chelsea, England.


See also

*
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 ...
(1981, 1988 and 1997)


References


Further reading

* * * *—; * *—''Co. Fermanagh, Northern Ireland'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:McGuire, James Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross Victoria Cross forfeitures 1820s births 1862 deaths 19th-century Irish people Irish soldiers in the British East India Company Army People from Enniskillen Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British Army personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War Military personnel from County Fermanagh