William George Hawtry Bankes
Encyclopedia
William George Hawtry Bankes VC
(Wimborne Minster
, Dorset
11 September 1836 - India
6 April 1858) 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.
He was 21 years old, and a Cornet in the 7th Hussars (The Queen's Own)
, British Army
during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed on 19 March 1858 at Lucknow
in India
took place for which he was awarded the VC as published in the London Gazette
:
As Bankes was dying Queen Victoria wrote of his plight in a letter to the Princess Royal:
Bankes was awarded the VC when the award criteria for the medal was amended to allow posthumous awards.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Queen's Own Hussars Museum
in Warwick
, Warwickshire, 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....
(Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster
Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
11 September 1836 - 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...
6 April 1858) 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.
He was 21 years old, and a Cornet in the 7th Hussars (The Queen's Own)
7th Queen's Own Hussars
The 7th Queen's Own Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first formed in 1690. It saw service for three centuries, before being amalgamated into The Queen's Own Hussars in 1958....
, 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 Indian Mutiny when the following deed on 19 March 1858 at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
in 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...
took place for which he was awarded the VC as published in the London Gazette
London Gazette
The London Gazette is one of the official journals of record of the British government, and the most important among such official journals in the United Kingdom, in which certain statutory notices are required to be published...
:
As Bankes was dying Queen Victoria wrote of his plight in a letter to the Princess Royal:
Bankes was awarded the VC when the award criteria for the medal was amended to allow posthumous awards.
His Victoria Cross is displayed at The Queen's Own Hussars Museum
The Queen's Own Hussars Museum
The Queen's Own Hussars Museum is a military museum in Warwick in central England. It is housed in a range of 14th century half timbered buildings known as Lord Leycester Hospital. The Queen's Own Hussars was the senior light cavalry regiment of the British Army. The museum also covers the history...
in Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, Warwickshire, England.