John Taylor, (c. 1822 – 25 February 1857) was a sailor in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and an English 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.

Royal Navy

Taylor was about 33 years old, and a captain of the forecastle in the

, serving in the Naval Brigade, during the

Crimean War The Crimean War was fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the Ottoman Empire, the Second French Empire, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861), Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont fro ...

when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the

(VC). On 18 June 1855 on the

Crimean Peninsula Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrai ...

, immediately after the assault on

Sebastopol Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important Port of Sevastopol, por ...

, a soldier of the 57th Regiment, who had been wounded in both legs, was observed sitting up and calling for help. At once the second-in-command, Henry James Raby, of the scaling party, another seaman, Henry Curtis, and Captain of the Forecastle Taylor left the shelter of their battery works and ran forward a distance of 70 yards, across open ground, through heavy gunfire and succeeded in carrying the wounded man to safety.

Later life and legacy

John Taylor's Cross is held in the Sheesh Mahal Collection in

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

, India. The group formed part of the Maharaja Bhupendra Singh's collection, which was bequeathed to the Museum on the death of the Maharajah's son in 1947, and consists of the VC,

Conspicuous Gallantry Medal The Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (CGM) was, until 1993, a British military decoration for gallantry in action for petty officers and seamen of the Royal Navy, including Warrant Officers and other ranks of the Royal Marines. It was formerly awa ...

, China War Medal 1842, India General Service Medal 1854 clasp Pegu, Crimea Medal with clasps Inkermann and Sebastopol,

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

and Turkish Crimea Medal. Taylor was buried in Woolwich cemetery in southeast London.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, John 1820s births 1857 deaths Military personnel from Bristol Royal Navy sailors British recipients of the Victoria Cross Crimean War recipients of the Victoria Cross Royal Navy personnel of the First Opium War British military personnel of the Second Anglo-Burmese War Royal Navy personnel of the Crimean War Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross Recipients of the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal Knights of the Legion of Honour