Robert Haydon Shebbeare
Encyclopedia
Robert Haydon Shebbeare VC
(13 January 1827 – 16 September 1860) 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.
, then the junior part of King's College London
. Shebbeare's fellow schoolboy at King's College School
Philip Salkeld
was also awarded the Victoria Cross for action on the same day, for his role in the attack on Delhi's Kashmir Gate.
In a letter to his mother he wrote: "I was wounded by three bullets on 14th July and again by one on 14th September... In addition to these wounds, two musket balls went through my hat. The first slightly grazed my scalp, giving me a severe headache and making me feel very sick. The second cut through a very thick turban and knocked me down on my face, but without doing me any injury. On the same day and shortly afterwards a ball hit me on the (right) jawbone but glanced off with no worse effect than making me bleed violently and giving me a very mumpish appearance for some days."
in the 60th Bengal Native Infantry, Bengal Army
during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
, which volunteered for service in China and took part in the advance on Peking in 1860
. At the age of 33, after 16 years away from England, having risen from subaltern cadet to captain, having fought in two wars, and having won the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, he sailed back home from China on the SS Emau to see his family again. When the ship arrived, his family were all waiting at the quayside to welcome the hero home; only to be told that he had died en route from an illness, probably malaria
, and had been buried at sea in the East China Sea
.
Robert Shebbeare's descendants include Lieutenant Colonel Robert A Shebbeare, and his great great nephew Sir Tom Shebbeare
, KCVO.
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....
(13 January 1827 – 16 September 1860) 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.
Background
He was educated at King's College SchoolKing's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
, then the junior part of King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
. Shebbeare's fellow schoolboy at King's College School
King's College School
King's College School, commonly referred to as KCS, King's, or KCS Wimbledon, is an independent school for day pupils in Wimbledon in south-west London. The school was founded as the junior department of King's College London and occupied part of its premises in Strand, before relocating to...
Philip Salkeld
Philip Salkeld
Philip Salkeld VC 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...
was also awarded the Victoria Cross for action on the same day, for his role in the attack on Delhi's Kashmir Gate.
India
Robert Shebbeare left his middle-class suburban home near London in 1844 at the age of seventeen as a subaltern cadet in the 60th Bengal Native Infantry to make his future in India. After 12 years of ordinary regimental duties, he was eventually caught up in the extraordinary events of the Indian Mutiny where he could achieve something himself. With fellow officers he managed to escape to Delhi, where he was attached to the Guides and took part in most of the action during the long hot summer of 1857, during which he was wounded six times.In a letter to his mother he wrote: "I was wounded by three bullets on 14th July and again by one on 14th September... In addition to these wounds, two musket balls went through my hat. The first slightly grazed my scalp, giving me a severe headache and making me feel very sick. The second cut through a very thick turban and knocked me down on my face, but without doing me any injury. On the same day and shortly afterwards a ball hit me on the (right) jawbone but glanced off with no worse effect than making me bleed violently and giving me a very mumpish appearance for some days."
VC Details
Shebbeare was 30 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 60th Bengal Native Infantry, 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 when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
China
He raised a new Sikh regiment, the 15th Punjab15th Punjab Regiment
The 15th Punjab Regiment was a regiment of the British Indian Army from 1922 to 1947. It was transferred to Pakistan Army on Partition of India in 1947, and amalgamated with the 1st, 14th and 16th Punjab Regiments in 1956 to form the Punjab Regiment....
, which volunteered for service in China and took part in the advance on Peking in 1860
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
. At the age of 33, after 16 years away from England, having risen from subaltern cadet to captain, having fought in two wars, and having won the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, he sailed back home from China on the SS Emau to see his family again. When the ship arrived, his family were all waiting at the quayside to welcome the hero home; only to be told that he had died en route from an illness, probably malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
, and had been buried at sea in the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
.
Robert Shebbeare's descendants include Lieutenant Colonel Robert A Shebbeare, and his great great nephew Sir Tom Shebbeare
Tom Shebbeare
Sir Tom Shebbeare, KCVO, is Director of Charities to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.Shebbeare was educated at Malvern College and the University of Exeter, of which he was made an honorary LLD in 2005....
, KCVO.