William Mordaunt Marsh Edwards
Encyclopedia
Major William Mordaunt Marsh Edwards, VC
, DL
(7 May 1855 – 17 September 1912) 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.
Hall, Norfolk. He was educated at Eton
and Trinity College, Cambridge
. He did not take a degree at Cambridge, but was gazetted in 1876 and joined 74th Highlanders
in 1877.
in the 2nd Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry, British Army
during the British occupation of Egypt when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 13 September 1882 at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt
, Lieutenant Edwards led a party of the Highland Light Infantry to storm a redoubt. The lieutenant who was in advance of his party, rushed alone into the battery, killed the artillery officer in charge and was himself knocked down by a gunner with a rammer and was rescued only by the timely arrival of three men of his regiment.
He later achieved the rank of major
and was appointed a Deputy Lord Lieutenant
for Norfolk
.
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....
, DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(7 May 1855 – 17 September 1912) 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.
Early life
Edwards was the son and heir of Henry William Bartholomew, of HardinghamHardingham
Hardingham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 274 in 110 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of Breckland....
Hall, Norfolk. He was educated at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
and Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
. He did not take a degree at Cambridge, but was gazetted in 1876 and joined 74th Highlanders
74th (Highland) Regiment of Foot
The 74th Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment. During the Childers Reforms it was united with the 71st Regiment of Foot to form the Highland Light Infantry.-Service history:...
in 1877.
Details
Edwards was 27 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 2nd Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry, 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 British occupation of Egypt when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 13 September 1882 at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Lieutenant Edwards led a party of the Highland Light Infantry to storm a redoubt. The lieutenant who was in advance of his party, rushed alone into the battery, killed the artillery officer in charge and was himself knocked down by a gunner with a rammer and was rescued only by the timely arrival of three men of his regiment.
He later achieved the rank of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
and was appointed a Deputy Lord Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Norfolk)