John Paton VC (23 December 1833 – 1 April 1914) was a

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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

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and

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forces.

Details

Paton was 23 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 93rd Regiment of Foot (later

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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 ...

when the following deed took place at the

Siege of Lucknow The siege of Lucknow was the prolonged defence of the British The Residency, Lucknow, Residency within the city of Lucknow from rebel sepoys (Indian soldiers in the British East India Company's Army) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. After ...

for which he was awarded the VC: He was celebrated as "The Hero of Lucknow". He described the Battle of Lucknow to a journalist in 1907, "There were only 2,500 on our side and it was estimated that the enemy numbered over 70,000 sepoys and mark you they were not savages but well trained soldiers armed and drilled the same as we were." He emigrated to Australia in 1861 becoming a

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. He lived with his family in a cottage (no longer standing) near the corner of Prospect Road and Robert Street at Summer Hill in Sydney's inner western suburbs. He worshipped at St. Andrews Anglican Church on the corner of Henson and Smith Streets, Summer Hill. A magnificent bronze memorial was erected in his memory by his sisters and is located on the wall to the immediate left upon entering the church main entrance. A park located across the street from the church is named in his honour His grave (including family members) is in the Anglican Monumental Area "AAA, number 414" of Rookwood Necropolis, Strathfield, Sydney. This impressive monumental grave was completely refurbished in mid-2013 by the Office of Australian War Graves, whose duty includes maintaining in perpetuity the graves of all VC Heroes buried in Australia. He died at his home on the 1st of April 1914 aged 81. After a memorial service at St Andrews Church his flag draped coffin was conveyed by a military honour guard to Summer Hill Railway Station on a horse drawn gun carriage, the bells of St Andrews tolling as locals lined the streets to pay their respect. The coffin was loaded on a funeral train and taken to Rookwood Cemetery, where he was buried with full military honours. Never one to romanticise war he later said, "The scenes of horror at the final relief of Lucknow I cannot even now dwell upon. Our joy at reunion with our comrades and the safety of the woman and children, turned us into hysterical woman". Although honored throughout his life to have won the Victoria Cross he wasn't overtly sentimental about it, telling a journalist, "The much vaunted V.C. carries with it a pension of £10 per annum. Now it must be remembered that men who got the V.C. are generally pretty badly broken up in achieving it. I was not, but most of those gaining it have been left minus a leg or an arm, or have been in some way incapacitated. £10 a year seems but a paltry sum to recompense men so badly smashed. My complaint is not a personal one, as I have explained I came through without a scratch."

The medal

His Victoria Cross was originally donated to St Andrews Church of England, Summer Hill, by his daughters and for years it was proudly displayed with his other medals in a cabinet directly beneath his large bronze memorial plaque, however after it was stolen in the early 1980s and recovered soon afterwards with a subsequent attempt at theft the church decided to honour John Paton's memory by donating it to his old regiment in the town of his birth. His valour under fire winning him the admiration of his regiment, non-commissioned officers nominating him for the VC, one of six soldiers at the Battle of Lucknow to win one, bestowed by Queen Victoria at a ceremony in England. He also received campaign medals for bravery, including: 'Relief of Lucknow (1857–1858)' - 'Crimea (1855)' and one for 'Sevastopol, Balaklava and Alma (1854)' His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders Museum,

Stirling Castle Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...

, Scotland.

References

*''

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)

External links

History of Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Paton, John 1833 births 1914 deaths Military personnel from Stirling British recipients of the Victoria Cross Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders soldiers Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross Scottish emigrants to Australia British Army personnel of the Crimean War British prison governors British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Burials at Rookwood Cemetery