Collingwood Dickson
Encyclopedia
General Sir Collingwood Dickson VC
GCB
(20 November 1817 – 28 November 1904) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, British Army
during the Crimean War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 17 October 1854 at Sebastopol, the Crimea
, when the batteries had run short of powder, Lieutenant Colonel Dickson displayed great coolness and contempt of danger in directing the unloading of several waggons of the field battery which were brought up to the trenches to supply the want. He personally helped to carry the powder-barrels under heavy fire from the enemy.
, West London, England. Square 112/2. Plot 34633. Headstone.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(20 November 1817 – 28 November 1904) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Details
He was 36 years old, and a Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 17 October 1854 at Sebastopol, the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, when the batteries had run short of powder, Lieutenant Colonel Dickson displayed great coolness and contempt of danger in directing the unloading of several waggons of the field battery which were brought up to the trenches to supply the want. He personally helped to carry the powder-barrels under heavy fire from the enemy.
Further information
He was the son of Sir Alexander Dickson. He later achieved the rank of general. Grave/memorial at Buried at Kensal Green CemeteryKensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
, West London, England. Square 112/2. Plot 34633. Headstone.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Royal Artillery Museum (Woolwich, England).External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Kensal Green Cemetery)