Peter Gill (VC)
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Peter Gill (VC)(September 1831-26 July 1868) was born in St Paul's Parish, Dublin and was an Irish 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.
[edit] Details
Gill was approximately 25 years old, and a Sergeant-Major in the Loodiana Regiment, during the Indian Mutiny.
On 4 June 1857 at Benares, India, Sergeant-Major Gill volunteered, with another Sergeant-Major, Matthew Rosamund, and a private, John Kirk, to rescue a paymaster and his family from their bungalow and take them to the safety of the barracks. During the same evening he saved the life of a Quartermaster-Sergeant by cutting off the head of the sepoy who had just bayoneted him. He is also said to have twice saved the life of a Major who was being attacked by sepoys.
Peter later achieved the rank of lieutenant.
He was killed in action, Moror, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, India, on 26 July 1868.
[edit] References
Listed in order of publication year
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (1981, 1988 and 1997)
- The Irish Sword (Brian Clarke 1986)
- Irelands VCs ISBN 1-899243-00-3 (Dept of Economic Development 1995)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
