Robert Turner (11 October 1820 – 24 June 1910) was a

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 ...

soldier of the Regiment of Royal Artillery. He joined the artillery in 1840 and served with them in the aftermath of the 1848

Young Ireland rebellion The Young Irelander Rebellion was a failed Irish nationalist uprising led by the Young Ireland movement, part of the wider Revolutions of 1848 that affected most of Europe. It took place on 29 July 1848 at Farranrory, a small settlement about 4 ...

and on garrison duty in Jamaica. Turner saw action in 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 ...

at the

Battle of the Alma The Battle of the Alma (short for Battle of the Alma River) took place during the Crimean War between an allied expeditionary force (made up of French, British, and Ottoman forces) and Russian forces defending the Crimean Peninsula on 20Sept ...

, Siege of Sevastopol and the

Battle of Inkerman The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, and w ...

. During the latter he assisted with the distribution of ammunition after the soldier allocated to this was killed, and was awarded the

Distinguished Conduct Medal The Distinguished Conduct Medal was a decoration established in 1854 by Queen Victoria for gallantry in the field by Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Army. It is the oldest British award for gallantry and was a second level military ...

. In 1867, he was appointed as Bombardier at Fort Belvedere in

Windsor Great Park Windsor Great Park is a Royal Park of to the south of the town of Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. It is adjacent to the private Home Park, Windsor, Home Park, which is nearer the castle. The park ...

. His responsibilities included firing salutes from cannon on royal birthdays. He was visited at the fort by

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

and by 1880 achieved some fame as "the oldest soldier in the Royal Artillery". He remained at the post under Victoria's successor

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

and served until his death.

Early life and career

Attack on the English trenches by the Russians

Turner was born at Hemingstone, Suffolk, on 11 October 1820. He enlisted with the Royal Artillery and was drafted into the regiment at the

Royal Arsenal The Royal Arsenal, Woolwich is an establishment on the south bank of the River Thames in Woolwich in south-east London, England, that was used for the manufacture of armaments and ammunition, proof test, proofing, and explosives research for ...

, Woolwich on 25 November 1840. Turner was stationed at Woolwich until the 1848

when his unit was sent to reinforce British forces in Ireland. After the suppression of the rebellion he accompanied his regiment on a five-year posting to

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

in the

Colony of Jamaica The Crown Colony of Jamaica and Dependencies was a British colony from 1655, when it was Invasion of Jamaica (1655), captured by the The Protectorate, English Protectorate from the Spanish Empire. Jamaica became a British Empire, British colon ...

. In June 1851 he was tried by

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

for an offence, found guilty and sentenced to three days' imprisonment and reduction in rank from corporal to driver. After Jamaica Turner returned briefly to Ireland before, in 1854, Britain declared war on the Russian Empire and entered the

. Turner fought in the 20 September 1854

, the lengthy Siege of Sevastopol and the 5 November

. While serving as a driver, mounted on a limber horse, he noted that the soldier distributing ammunition had been killed. Turner picked up the fallen man's ammunition box and continued his work. The box was struck many times by bullets but Turner was unharmed. For this action he received the

and a £5 gratuity. For his Crimea service he received the

Crimea Medal The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved on 15 December 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units (land and naval) which fought in the Crimean War of 1854–1856 against Russia. The medal was awarded with the British version of ...

with clasps for Alma, Inkerman and Sevastopol and the

Turkish Crimea Medal The Turkish Crimean War Medal () is a campaign medal issued by Sultan Abdulmejid I of the Ottoman Empire to allied military personnel involved in the Crimean War of 1854–56. It was only awarded to those who survived the war and not to next of ...

. In later life he said of his Crimean experience: "I don't remember a great deal about it now; it's so long ago, isn't it? But I haven't forgotten Inkerman – we were in a pretty tight corner there, I must say." After the war he was garrisoned in London.

Fort Belvedere

In 1867, Turner was appointed as bombardier at Fort Belvedere in

, receiving the post in recognition for his distinguished service. He was formally discharged from the army but continued to be a member of the Regiment of Royal Artillery, retaining his rank of acting master-gunner and continued to receive new issues of uniform. His duties included firing salutes from the fort's guns, mostly obsolete cannon captured in battle, at noon on royal birthdays. He was eventually forbidden to fire the weapons on safety grounds but continued to carry out the drill, pretending to fire the cannons. Turner was tall and well-built with white hair and beard and by around 1880 he was appearing on postcards, billed as "the oldest soldier in the Royal Artillery". In the late 19th century

often visited the fort on summer afternoon carriage drives to take tea and converse with Turner. Turner received the

Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal The Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was instituted by King William IV of the United Kingdom, William IV in 1830. The medal remained in use for 100 years, until it was replaced by the Medal for Long Service and Good Conduct (Military) i ...

and, in 1897, the

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal The Diamond Jubilee Medal was instituted in 1897 by royal warrant as a British decoration. The medal was awarded to members of the royal family and the court, guests and dignitaries present at the celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Vict ...

. When Victoria was succeeded by

Turner received a

King Edward VII Coronation Medal The King Edward VII Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal issued in 1902 to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. Issue The medal was awarded in silver and bronze. It was issued in silver to members of the royal fa ...

. Edward also called at the fort to enquire of Turner's health. In 1906 Turner was awarded a

Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include: Singapore *Pingat Jasa Gemilang, or Meritorious Services Me ...

and a supplement of £10 to his pension. Turner's wife died around January 1909. He was too weak to attend her funeral, but put on his uniform and stood at salute in the fort's courtyard as her coffin was carried out. Later that year the ''Windsor and Eton Express'' said Turner had "a very substantial claim to the title of being the oldest soldier n the British Army. He died at the fort on 24 June 1910. His funeral was held at the church in

Sunningdale Sunningdale is a village and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England and is adjoined by green buffers including Sunningdale Golf Club and Wentworth Golf ...

and was attended by hundreds of people, including British Army officers and a fellow Crimean War veteran. Turner's coffin was draped with the

Union Flag The Union Jack or Union Flag is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was also used as the official flag of several British colonies and dominions before they adopted their own national flags. It is sometimes a ...

atop which was placed his service

shako A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or Cap badge, badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, hackle ...

. The coffin sat on a gun carriage drawn by five horses and was escorted by a mounted detachment of the

2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) The 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) was a Cavalry regiments of the British Army, cavalry regiment of the British Army. It was first raised in 1685 by the Henry Mordaunt, 2nd Earl of Peterborough, Earl of Peterborough as the Earl of Peterborough ...

. Turner's tunic, dating from circa 1890, and medals are in the collection of 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 ...

References

{{reflist 1820 births 1910 deaths Royal Artillery soldiers British Army personnel of the Crimean War Recipients of the Distinguished Conduct Medal Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United Kingdom)