Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Mark Sever Bell, (15 May 1843 – 26 June 1906) was 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. Born in the Australian colony of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, his family travelled to England when he was an infant. He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The s ...

and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, where he was made a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

in 1890. Bell was 30 years old, and a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the

Corps of Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

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 ...

during the First Ashanti Expedition when the following deed took place on 4 February 1874 at the

Battle of Ordashu The Battle of Ordashu was fought on 4 February 1874 during the Third Anglo-Ashanti War when Sir Garnet Wolseley defeated the Ashantis. The attack was led by the 42nd Regiment of Foot. Lieutenant Mark Sever Bell won the Victoria Cross The ...

, Ashanti (now

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

) for which he was awarded the VC: He later achieved the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. While serving as the commanding officer of Shornecliff military barracks at Folkestone Kent in 1890 a curious incident involving Colonel Bell occurred making national news. The colonel had been expecting 11 packages by mail wagon but the postman counted 12 addressed to the recipient. While driving his horse and cart up Sandgate hill, a pothole in the road jolted the vehicle and its contents which fell onto the street with the 12th package spilling open. It was revealed to be a stone pickle jar in which was found the dead body of a male infant whose chest had been mutilated and top of the skull removed. The colonel denied any knowledge of who the package had been sent by and policemen managed traced the sender of the package back to a fashionable West-End London address. The property was owned by a wealthy young lady who claimed that the parcel may have been sent by her brother, a doctor and pathologist, who had died three years earlier and who supposedly kept human specimens. However, it appears that the young lady may have either perverted the course of justice or had been let off her crime due to her social status and class. He was placed on

half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...

in August 1898. He died at

Windlesham Windlesham is a geographically-large village in the Surrey Heath borough of Surrey, England, approximately south west of central London. Its name derives from the Windle Brook, which runs south of the village into Chobham, and the common suffi ...

and is buried at All Soul's Churchyard, South Ascot,

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

, England. A headstone marks his grave. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the

Royal Engineers Museum The Royal Engineers Museum, Library and Archive is a military engineering museum and library in Gillingham, Kent. It tells the story of the Corps of Royal Engineers and British military engineering in general. History The museum is housed in ...

, Chatham, England.

References

"News." ''Evening Telegraph'', 21 March 1890, p. 3. British Library Newspapers, Accessed 27 March 2019.

External links

Sappers VCs

(Berkshire) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Mark Sever 1843 births 1906 deaths Burials in Berkshire British Army colonels People educated at King's College School, London Alumni of King's College London Fellows of King's College London British recipients of the Victoria Cross Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Engineers officers British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Ashanti War Military personnel from Sydney British military personnel of the Bhutan War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross Australian emigrants to England Recipients of the MacGregor Medal