Stewart McPherson VC (1819 – 7 December 1892) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

soldier in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and a 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 ...

military forces.

Life

Stewart McPherson was born in

Culross Culross (/ˈkurəs/) (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cuileann Ros'', 'holly point or promontory') is a village and former royal burgh, and parish, in Fife, Scotland. According to the 2006 estimate, the village has a population of 395. Originally, Culross ...

in 1819, the son of Mungo McPherson and Mary Smith. He left Geddes Public School in the village at 15 and became an apprentice weaver in nearby

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; , ) is a city, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. Dunfermline was the de facto capital of the Kingdom of Scotland between the 11th and 15th centuries. The earliest ...

, but he was soon lured by adventure and foreign travel. In December 1839, he walked to

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

to join the British Army's 78th Highlanders, which were later known as the

Seaforth Highlanders The Seaforth Highlanders (Ross-shire Buffs, the Duke of Albany's) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, mainly associated with large areas of the northern Highlands of Scotland. The regiment existed from 1881 to 1961, and saw service ...

Ross-shire Buffs, Duke of Albany's. He married a Culross girl, Elizabeth Haig, in 1848, and the couple went on to have six children - Stewart, Sarah, Eliza, Robina, Ferguson, and McGregor. McPherson saw action in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

before arriving in Bengal, India. He was approximately 38 years old, and now a

colour-sergeant Colour sergeant (CSgt or C/Sgt) is a rank of non-commissioned officer found in several armies and marine corps. Australia In the Australian Army, the rank of colour sergeant has only existed in the Corps of Staff Cadets at the Royal Militar ...

. During his time here, his actions during 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 ...

in 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 ...

earned him the Victoria Cross. His citation reads: McPherson was presented with his award 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 ...

in December 1880, at

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a List of British royal residences, royal residence at Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, about west of central London. It is strongly associated with the Kingdom of England, English and succee ...

. Only three weeks after receiving his award, he discharged himself from the army and returned to Scotland, where he was appointed superintendent of the

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Industrial Schools based in Bailieston. A decade later, the family moved again to Culross where they bought a house in Low Valleyfield. As a reminder of his time in India, it was named Lucknow Villa and it was there that he died, aged 70, in 1892.

Burial

McPherson was laid to rest in his town near

. He was buried in the Fife County Cemetery, in the shadow of

Culross Abbey Culross Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Culross, Scotland, headed by the Abbot or Commendator of Culross. Part of it is still used as the local parish church by the Church of Scotland. History The abbey was founded in 1217 by Malcolm I ...

, but his grave became overgrown. About 143 years after being awarded the Victoria Cross a local woman, Janis Ellis, showed businessman Alan Johnson the war hero's last resting place and he decided his valour should be recognized in his home village. The Fife Council awarded an £1800 grant from the common good fund to pay for a new Indian granite stone - quarried less than 60 miles from Lucknow. The grave lies to the north-west of the church entrance. A plaque was also unveiled inside Culross Parish Church at a ceremony which was attended by two of his descendants, Mrs. Lylian Edge and Mr Stuart Lamberton, as well as senior Army personnel. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Regimental Museum of Queens Own Highlanders, Fort George, Inverness-shire, Scotland.

References

*''Scotland's Forgotten Valour'' (Graham Ross, 1995) *''

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) *''

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) * ''Scotsman'' Wed 27 September 2000

External links

Location of grave and VC medal
''(Fife)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:McPherson, Stewart 1819 births 1892 deaths People from Culross Military personnel from Fife British recipients of the Victoria Cross Seaforth Highlanders soldiers Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross British military personnel of the Anglo-Persian War British Army recipients of the Victoria Cross