Nevill Josiah Aylmer Coghill VC (25 January 1852 – 22 January 1879) was an Irish officer in the

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 ...

and 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

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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.

Family and early life

Born in

Drumcondra, Dublin Drumcondra () is a residential area and inner suburb on the Northside (Dublin), Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is administered by Dublin City Council. The River Tolka and the Royal Canal flow through the area. History Th ...

at Belvidere House, Coghill was the eldest son of Sir John Joscelyn Coghill (1826–1905), 4th

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, JP, DL, of Drumcondra,

County Dublin County Dublin ( or ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, and holds its capital city, Dublin. It is located on the island's east coast, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Until 1994, County Dubli ...

(see

Coghill baronets There have been two baronetcies created for persons with the surname Coghill, both in the Baronetage of Great Britain. One creation is extant as of 2008. The Coghill Baronetcy, of Coghill in the East Riding of the County of York, was created in ...

), and his wife, the Hon. Katherine Frances Plunket, daughter of

John Plunket, 3rd Baron Plunket John Span Plunket, 3rd Baron Plunket of Newtown, County Cork (10 July 1793 – 16 April 1871) was an Irish peer and Queen's Counsel. He was the second son of William Plunket, 1st Baron Plunket, and Catherine MacAusland. He succeeded his brother Th ...

. He was a nephew of

David Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore David Robert Plunket, 1st Baron Rathmore PC, QC (3 December 1838 – 22 August 1919) was an Irish lawyer and Conservative politician. Background and education Plunket was the third son of John Plunket, 3rd Baron Plunket, second son of Wil ...

and

William Plunket, 4th Baron Plunket William Conyngham Plunket, 4th Baron Plunket (26 August 1828 – 1 April 1897) was Dean of Christ Church Cathedral and Archbishop of Dublin in the Church of Ireland. Life Born in Dublin, he was the eldest son of John Plunket, 3rd Baron Plun ...

. The painter

Sir Egerton Coghill, 5th Baronet Sir Egerton Bushe Coghill, 5th Baronet (7 February 1853 – 9 October 1921) was an Irish painter. Life and family Coghill was born on 7 February 1853 in Castletownshend, County Cork. He was the second son of Irish painter Sir John Joscelyn Cog ...

was his younger brother and he named his son,

Nevill Coghill Nevill Henry Kendal Aylmer Coghill (19 April 1899 – 6 November 1980) was an Anglo-Irish literary scholar, known especially for his modern-English version of Geoffrey Chaucer's ''Canterbury Tales''. He was an associate of the literary discuss ...

in his honour. Coghill's nephew became a literary scholar and a member of the

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literature, literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusia ...

with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. Coghill was educated at

Haileybury College Haileybury is a co-educational public school (fee-charging boarding and day school for 11- to 18-year-olds) located in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire. It is a member of the Rugby Group and enrols pupils at the 11+, 13+ and 16+ stages of edu ...

from 1865 to 1869. In 1876 he set sail with the

24th Regiment of Foot Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'', a 1972 ...

to Cape.

Battle of Isandlwana

Coghill was twenty-six 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 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment of Foot (2nd Warwickshires),

, during the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

, when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC. He was an orderly officer to Colonel R. T. Glyn, who regarded him as his favourite officer and the son he never had. On 22 January 1879, after the disaster of the

Battle of Isandlwana The Battle of Isandlwana (alternative spelling: Isandhlwana) on 22 January 1879 was the first major encounter in the Anglo-Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Eleven days after the British invaded the Zulu Kingdom, Zululand ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, Lieutenant Coghill joined Lieutenant

Teignmouth Melvill Teignmouth Melvill VC (8 September 1842 – 22 January 1879) was an English officer in the British Army and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to ...

who was trying to save the

Queen's Colour In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 year ...

of the Regiment. They were pursued by Zulu warriors, and while crossing the swollen River Buffalo, Lieutenant Coghill (despite his injured knee) went to the rescue of his brother officer, who had lost his horse and was in great danger. Although Coghill's horse was shot by a Zulu warrior, the valiant soldier swam on to rescue Melvill. After some time, the Colour was swept from their grasp and floated down the bank. After reaching the bank, the two men were eventually overtaken by the Zulu warriors and, following a short struggle, both were killed. Lieutenant Walter Higginson, who was persuaded to escape, heard and witnessed their final actions when they fought to the last. The Colour was retrieved from the river ten days later by a mounted party under Major

Wilsone Black Major-General Sir Wilsone Black (10 February 1837 – 5 July 1909) was a British military officer and colonial administrator. Military career Black was commissioned into the 42nd Regiment of Foot in 1854. He served in the Crimea War from 18 ...

Legacy and award of Victoria Cross

Two weeks after the battle, Coghill and Melvill's bodies were found by a search party and both buried at Fugitive's Drift. Major-General Dillon informed Coghill's father in a letter, that had it not been for the valour of his son, the Colour would have fallen to Zulu hands. Coghill's father donated his son's trophies including a Zulu shield to the Museum of Science and Art, now the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

. Coghill and Melvill were amongst the first soldiers to receive the VC posthumously in 1907. Initially ''

The London Gazette ''The London Gazette'', known generally as ''The Gazette'', is one of the official journals of record or government gazettes of the Government of the United Kingdom, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, i ...

'' mentioned that had they survived they would have been awarded the VC. Last Sleep of the Brave

A few months after the Battle of Isandlwana, a French battle artist,

Alphonse de Neuville Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (; 31 May 183518 May 1885) was a French academic painter who studied under Eugène Delacroix. His dramatic and intensely patriotic subjects illustrated episodes from the Franco-Prussian War, the Crimean War, the ...

painted Coghill and Melvill's actions when they were pursued by Zulu warriors. The attempted escape of Melvill and Nevill Coghill was depicted in the 1918 silent film ''

Symbol of Sacrifice ''Symbol of Sacrifice'' is a 1918 film dramatisation of the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War. It follows English soldier Preston Fanshall from the British defeat at the Battle of Isandlwana to Rorke's Drift where he participates in the successful defence of ...

''. Coghill was portrayed by

Christopher Cazenove Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove (17 December 1943 – 7 April 2010) was an English film, television and stage actor. Early life and career He was born Christopher de Lerisson Cazenove, on 17 December 1943, the son of Brigadier Arnold de Leri ...

in the 1979 film ''

Zulu Dawn ''Zulu Dawn'' is a 1979 American adventure war film directed by Douglas Hickox and written by Anthony Storey and Cy Endfield. It is based on Endfield's book of the same name about the historical Battle of Isandlwana in 1879 between British and ...

'' as a polite and humorous officer. In the film, he is friends with Melvill; their heroic actions when they crossed the Buffalo River in a desperate attempt to return the Queen's Colour back to Natal was depicted in the film. Coghill's great-great-great grand-niece, Jane Mann, in 2014, passed a painting (of her ancestor and Melvill pursued by Zulus) by contemporary military artist Jason Askew to the Victoria Cross Museum. The Colour which Coghill and Melvill tried to save was recovered and is on display at

Brecon Cathedral Brecon Cathedral (), in the town of Brecon, Powys, is the cathedral of the Diocese of Swansea and Brecon in the Church in Wales and seat of the Bishop of Swansea and Brecon. Previously the church of Brecon Priory and then the Parish Church of S ...

in remembrance of their valour as well as other soldiers killed during the battle. Coghill's Victoria Cross is permanently displayed at the

Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh, formerly the South Wales Borderers Museum, is located at Brecon in Wales. The museum's collection is made up of artefacts collected from a variety of sources from around the world and which display the re ...

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the county town of Breck ...

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. At Haileybury College, a leadership programme for pupils in Removes is named in his honour.

References

External links

* *

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 ...

br>Posthumous VCs: Lieutenant Nevill Coghill

A painting of Nevill Coghill

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coghill, Nevill Joseph Aylmer 1852 births 1879 deaths 19th-century Irish military personnel Irish officers in the British Army Irish recipients of the Victoria Cross People from Drumcondra, Dublin South Wales Borderers officers Anglo-Zulu War recipients of the Victoria Cross Heirs apparent who never acceded British military personnel killed in the Anglo-Zulu War British Army personnel of the Anglo-Zulu War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Military personnel from Dublin (city)