James John McLeod Innes
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General James John McLeod Innes VC
CB
(5 February 1830 – 13 December 1907) was a Scottish
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.
Born in British India to Scottish parents Innes was educated privately, at Edinburgh University and Addiscombe where he was awarded the Pollock Medal
and was commissioned into the Bengal Engineers in 1848.
Innes was 28 years old, and a lieutenant
in the Bengal Engineers, Bengal Army
during the Indian Mutiny on 23 February 1858 at Sultanpore, India
where he was awarded Victoria Cross for the following deed:
He also Mentioned in Despatches three times for his work in the Mutiny.
He later joined the Royal Engineers
and achieved the rank of lieutenant general
. After he retired he wrote several books. His Victoria Cross is displayed in the Royal Engineers Museum
at Chatham, England.
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....
CB
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...
(5 February 1830 – 13 December 1907) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
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.
Born in British India to Scottish parents Innes was educated privately, at Edinburgh University and Addiscombe where he was awarded the Pollock Medal
Pollock Medal
The Pollock Medal is a prize awarded to the best cadet of the season, in commemoration of Sir George Pollock's exploits in Afghanistan, first at the East India Company's Military Seminary, at Addiscombe Military Academy, and later at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.- Foundation :In 1844, the...
and was commissioned into the Bengal Engineers in 1848.
Innes was 28 years old, and a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the Bengal Engineers, Bengal Army
Bengal Army
The Bengal Army was the army of the Presidency of Bengal, one of the three Presidencies of British India, in South Asia. Although based in Bengal in eastern India, the presidency stretched across northern India and the Himalayas all the way to the North West Frontier Province...
during the Indian Mutiny on 23 February 1858 at Sultanpore, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
where he was awarded Victoria Cross for the following deed:
He also Mentioned in Despatches three times for his work in the Mutiny.
He later joined the Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
and achieved the rank of lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. After he retired he wrote several books. His Victoria Cross is displayed in the Royal Engineers Museum
Royal Engineers Museum
The Royal Engineers Museum, Library & Archive is a military engineering museum and library in Gillingham, Kent, England. It tells the story of the Corps of Royal Engineers and British military engineering in general.-History:The Library was founded in 1812...
at Chatham, England.
Works
- The Sepoy Revolt, Ad. Innes & Co (1 Jan 1897), ASIN:B0028SZ7UK
- Sir Henry Lawrence: The Pacificator, Clarendon Press (1898) ASIN:B001OP1V5S
- The Life and Times of General Sir James Browne RE KCB KCSI (Buster Browne), John Murray; (1 Jan 1905) ASIN:B001Q4DNMQ
External links
- Royal Engineers Museum Sappers VCs
- Location of grave and VC medal (Cambridgeshire)
- Find-A-Grave
- ODNB entry