Harry Hammon Lyster
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant General Harry Hammon Lyster VC
, CB
(24 December 1830 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-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.
in the 72nd Bengal Native Infantry, Bengal Army
, during the Indian Mutiny when the following deed took place, for which he was awarded the VC. The citation read:
Other despatches from Hugh Henry Rose describes how on 31 January 1858 at Barodia, when Lyster had been acting as Rose's interpreter, Lyster was wounded when fighting a nephew of Mahomed Fazil Khan, receiving a "deep sword cut on [the] inner part of [his] right forearm." He killed Khan's nephew during the fight.
lieutenant colonel on 26 March 1870, and brevet colonel on 25 November 1877. He was Mentioned in Despatches while in command of 3rd Goorkha Regiment at the Battle of Ahmed Khel
during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
, and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath on 22 February 1881. He was promoted lieutenant general on 1 September 1891, and retired from the army on 1 July 1892. He died in London on 1 February 1922.
His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum
, London.
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....
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(24 December 1830 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish
Anglo-Irish was a term used primarily in the 19th and early 20th centuries to identify a privileged social class in Ireland, whose members were the descendants and successors of the Protestant Ascendancy, mostly belonging to the Church of Ireland, which was the established church of Ireland until...
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.
Details
He 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 72nd 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. The citation read:
Other despatches from Hugh Henry Rose describes how on 31 January 1858 at Barodia, when Lyster had been acting as Rose's interpreter, Lyster was wounded when fighting a nephew of Mahomed Fazil Khan, receiving a "deep sword cut on [the] inner part of [his] right forearm." He killed Khan's nephew during the fight.
Further information
He was a son of Anthony Lyster of Stillorgan Park, Co. Dublin, and Marcia, the sixth daughter of James Tate. He took a commission in the British East India Company's army on 20 September 1848 and was promoted major on 19 January 1864, brevetBrevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
lieutenant colonel on 26 March 1870, and brevet colonel on 25 November 1877. He was Mentioned in Despatches while in command of 3rd Goorkha Regiment at the Battle of Ahmed Khel
Battle of Ahmed Khel
The Battle of Ahmed Khel was fought in April 1880 and ended in a British victory. This battle occurred during General Donald Stewart's march from Kandahar to Ghazni, then on to Kabul.-Order of battle:*Royal Horse Artillery*Royal Artillery...
during the Second Anglo-Afghan War
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
, and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath on 22 February 1881. He was promoted lieutenant general on 1 September 1891, and retired from the army on 1 July 1892. He died in London on 1 February 1922.
His VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
, London.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (BerkshireBerkshireBerkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
)