Raymond Harvey Lodge Joseph De Montmorency
Encyclopedia
Raymond Harvey Lodge Joseph De Montmorency VC
(5 February 1867 – 23 February 1900) was a British recipient of the Victoria Cross
(VC), the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces. (Also considered a Canadian recipient due to his place of birth).
De Montmorency was born in Montreal
, Canada
, the eldest son and heir of Major-General Reymond Hervey Frankfort de Montmorency 3rd Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency
, KCB, a Representative Peer
of Ireland, who served in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, Abyssinia and the Mahdist War.
in the 21st Lancers (Empress of India's), British Army
during the Sudan Campaign when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
On 2 September 1898 at the Battle of Omdurman
, Sudan
, after the charge, Lieutenant De Montmorency returned to help an officer who was lying surrounded by a great many Dervishes. He drove the Dervishes off and finding that the officer was dead, put the body on his horse which then broke away. Captain Paul Aloysius Kenna
and a corporal then came to his assistance and he was able to rejoin his regiment. His citation read:
De Montmorency later achieved the rank of captain. He was killed in action
at the Battle of Stormberg
, Dordrecht, Cape Colony
, South Africa
, on 23 February 1900.
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....
(5 February 1867 – 23 February 1900) was a British 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....
(VC), 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. (Also considered a Canadian recipient due to his place of birth).
De Montmorency was born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the eldest son and heir of Major-General Reymond Hervey Frankfort de Montmorency 3rd Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency
Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency
Viscount Frankfort de Montmorency, of Galmoye in the County of Kilkenny, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 22 January 1816 for Lodge de Montmorency, 1st Baron Frankfort, who had earlier represented Bandon Bridge, Dingle, Inistioge and Ennis in the Irish House of Commons...
, KCB, a Representative Peer
Representative peer
In the United Kingdom, representative peers were those peers elected by the members of the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland to sit in the British House of Lords...
of Ireland, who served in the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, Abyssinia and the Mahdist War.
Details
De Montmorency was 31 years old, and a lieutenantLieutenant
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 21st Lancers (Empress of India's), 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 Sudan Campaign when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
On 2 September 1898 at the Battle of Omdurman
Battle of Omdurman
At the Battle of Omdurman , an army commanded by the British Gen. Sir Herbert Kitchener defeated the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, after the charge, Lieutenant De Montmorency returned to help an officer who was lying surrounded by a great many Dervishes. He drove the Dervishes off and finding that the officer was dead, put the body on his horse which then broke away. Captain Paul Aloysius Kenna
Paul Aloysius Kenna
Brigadier General Paul Aloysius Kenna VC DSO was an English born British Army officer of Irish descent and recipient of the Victoria Cross , the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that could be awarded to British and British Empire forces.-Background:He was...
and a corporal then came to his assistance and he was able to rejoin his regiment. His citation read:
De Montmorency later achieved the rank of captain. He was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
at the Battle of Stormberg
Battle of Stormberg
The Battle of Stormberg was the first British defeat of Black Week, in which three successive British forces were defeated by Boer irregulars in the Second Boer War.-Background:...
, Dordrecht, Cape Colony
Dordrecht, Eastern Cape
]Dordrecht is situated in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Dordrecht was founded in 1856 by a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church and named after a city of South-West Netherlands. The name Dordrecht comes from Thyre, the name of a river, and Middle Dutch drecht "channel", meaning "Thure...
, 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...
, on 23 February 1900.