| Gonville Bromhead | |
|---|---|
| 1845 - 1892 (aged 46) | |
 Gonville Bromhead c 1872 |
|
| Place of birth | Versailles, France |
| Place of death | Allahabad, British India |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch | British Army |
| Years of service | c 1871-1892 |
| Rank | Major |
| Battles/wars | Anglo-Zulu War |
| Awards | Victoria Cross |
Major Gonville Bromhead VC (29 August 1845 – 9 February 1892) was an Anglo-Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Bromhead had a profound deafness which had restricted his promotion opportunities to this point in his life. Bromhead had been officially promoted to Lieutenant in October 1871. This was after John Chard's promotion in April 1868, making Bromhead the junior Lieutenant at the Drift even though he was an infantryman and Chard an engineer.[1][2]
Aged 33 years and holding the rank of lieutenant he commanded B Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Foot (later The South Wales Borderers), British Army during the Zulu War at Rorke's Drift, Natal, South Africa, when on 22 and 23 January 1879 Bromhead shared the command of the defenders of the post with John Chard, an officer of the Royal Engineers, setting a fine example and conducting himself with great gallantry in most trying circumstances. For this action, he was awarded the VC. Immediately after the battle he was promoted to Captain and then Brevet Major.[3] The citation for his VC was published in the London Gazette on 2 May 1879:[4]
| “ | THE Queen has been graciously pleased to signify Her intention to confer the decoration of the Victoria Cross on the undermentioned Officers and Soldiers of Her Majesty's Army, whose claims have been submitted for Her Majesty's approval, for their gallant conduct in the defence of Rorke's Drift, on the occasion of the attack by the Zulus, as recorded against their names, viz.:—
For their gallant conduct at the defence of Rorke's Drift, on the occasion of the attack by the Zulus on the 22nd and 23rd January, 1879. Royal Engineers Lieutenant (now Captain and Brevet Major) J. R. M. Chard 2nd Battalion 24th Regiment Lieutenant (now Captain and Brevet Major) G. Bromhead The Lieutenant-General commanding the troops reports that, had it not been for the fine example and excellent behaviour of these two Officers under the most trying circumstances, the defence of Rorke's Drift post would not have been conducted with that intelligence and tenacity which so essentially characterised it. The Lieutenant-General adds, that its success must, in a great degree, be attributable to the two young Officers who exercised the Chief Command on the occasion in question. |
” |
Contents |
Later life
He received a substantive promotion to Major on 4 April 1883.[5]
Bromhead died of typhoid at Camp Dabhaura, Allahabad, British India where he is buried in a military cemetery. The church at Thurlby in Lincolnshire has a stained glass window dedicated to him. His grandfather, who fought at the Battle of Waterloo, is buried in its churchyard. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the South Wales Borderers Museum (Brecon, Powys, Wales).
Bromhead was considered to be Irish, despite being born in Versailles, France. His mother, Judith Christine Wood, was certainly Irish, being a native of Woodville, Co. Sligo. However, his father's home was Thurlby Hall, north of Bassingham, near Lincoln. He was educated at the Thomas Magnus Grammar School in Newark, Nottinghamshire where one of the School Houses - 'Bromhead' was named after him until their abolition early this century.
In the 1964 film Zulu Gonville Bromhead was portrayed by Michael Caine, in his first starring role. Caine tells the story of sitting next to the real Bromhead's descendants during the film premiere, only to be informed afterwards that the character's name had been mispronounced during the movie (the first syllable rhyming with rum).[citation needed]
Gonville Bromhead is a main character in Peter Ho Davies's story "Relief," which appeared first in The Paris Review and was later published in Davies's 1997 collection The Ugliest House in the World.
References
Notes
- ^ London Gazette: no. 23812, pp. 5869–5870, 29 December 1871. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 23876, pp. 3197–3199, 16 July 1872. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 24698, p. 2310, 21 March 1879. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 24717, p. 3177, 2 May 1879. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
- ^ London Gazette: no. 25250, p. 3532, 13 July 1883. Retrieved 2007-11-28.
Sources
- Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Richard Howes, John Young
External links
- Lt. Gonville Bromhead (biography, photos, memorial details)
- Rorke's Drift (information within Frederick Hitch site)
- Very rough location of Bromhead's burial site
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