Harry Hampton
Encyclopedia
Harry Hampton VC
(14 December 1870 - 2 November 1922) was an English
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 2nd Battalion, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment, British Army
during the Second Boer War
when the following deed took place on 21 August 1900 at Van Wyk's Vlei, South Africa
, for which he was awarded the VC:
Although reported as having taken his own life by jumping in front of a train at Richmond
rail station, he did in fact succumb to multiple injuries sustained from falling against a Shepperton train passing through St Margarets station Twickenham. In the subsequent inquest there was no mention he may have taken his own life, the opinion of the coroner being that a leg injured when he had fallen from a bus approximately two years before his death had given way as the Shepperton Train passed through St Margarets station.
His funeral was held in St Margarets, after which his coffin was carried on a gun carriage with a military escort. He was conveyed from St Margarets, across Richmond Bridge, and on arriving outside Richmond Town Hall, the Mayor, Councillors, and a crowd of several thousand had assembled to pay their respects, many of which then followed the gun carriage to Richmond Cemetery.
He is buried in Richmond Old Cemetery, but where for over 40 years his grave remained unmarked. In 1986 the location of the grave was re-discovered by Ron Buddle, a Metropolitan Policeman and Victoria Cross historian, who with financial assistance from the Kings Regimental Association erected the present headstone. However the date of death shown on the headstone of 4 February 1920 was incorrect, the error being corrected when the grave was restored in 2008 as part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 'Adopt a Grave' scheme.
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....
(14 December 1870 - 2 November 1922) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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
Hampton was 29 years old, and a sergeantSergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
in the 2nd Battalion, The King's (Liverpool) Regiment, 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 Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
when the following deed took place on 21 August 1900 at Van Wyk's Vlei, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, for which he was awarded the VC:
Further information
He later achieved the rank of Colour-Sergeant. After retiring from the Army after World War I he returned to the Richmond area, taking employment in the City of London as a Commissionaire with a firm of London Solicitors. In 1919 whilst dismounting from a bus in Richmond his leg, injured during the Boer War, gave way. He continued to live at the family home of 151 Halliburton Road, St Margarets, Twickenham until his fatal accident in November 1922.Although reported as having taken his own life by jumping in front of a train at Richmond
Richmond station (London)
Richmond station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London which is managed by South West Trains....
rail station, he did in fact succumb to multiple injuries sustained from falling against a Shepperton train passing through St Margarets station Twickenham. In the subsequent inquest there was no mention he may have taken his own life, the opinion of the coroner being that a leg injured when he had fallen from a bus approximately two years before his death had given way as the Shepperton Train passed through St Margarets station.
His funeral was held in St Margarets, after which his coffin was carried on a gun carriage with a military escort. He was conveyed from St Margarets, across Richmond Bridge, and on arriving outside Richmond Town Hall, the Mayor, Councillors, and a crowd of several thousand had assembled to pay their respects, many of which then followed the gun carriage to Richmond Cemetery.
He is buried in Richmond Old Cemetery, but where for over 40 years his grave remained unmarked. In 1986 the location of the grave was re-discovered by Ron Buddle, a Metropolitan Policeman and Victoria Cross historian, who with financial assistance from the Kings Regimental Association erected the present headstone. However the date of death shown on the headstone of 4 February 1920 was incorrect, the error being corrected when the grave was restored in 2008 as part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 'Adopt a Grave' scheme.
The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Museum of the King's Regiment in Liverpool, England.External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Surrey)