Wallace Duffield Wright
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
Wallace Duffield Wright VC
, CB
, CMG
, DSO
(20 September 1875 – 25 March 1953) was a 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.
Wright was 27 years old, and a lieutenant
in the 1st Battalion, The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, British Army
, employed Northern Nigeria Regiment
during the Kano-Sokoto Expedition, in Nigeria
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 26 February 1903 in Nigeria
, Lieutenant Wright, with only one other officer and 44 men sustained the determined charges of 1,000 horse and 2,000 foot for two hours and when the enemy, after heavy losses, fell back in good order, Lieutenant Wright continued to follow them until they were in full retreat. The personal example of this officer, as well as his skilful leadership, contributed largely to the brilliant success of the affair.
In 1928, Wright was elected at a by-election
as Conservative
Member of Parliament
for Tavistock
following the death of the sitting MP Philip Kenyon-Slaney
. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election
, but stood down at the 1931 general election
.
His VC is currently on display at The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Museum, Clandon Park
, Surrey
.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Wallace Duffield Wright VC
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...
, CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(20 September 1875 – 25 March 1953) was a 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.
Wright was 27 years old, and a lieutenant
Lieutenant
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 1st Battalion, The Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, 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...
, employed Northern Nigeria Regiment
Royal West African Frontier Force
The West African Frontier Force was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The decision to raise this force was taken in 1897 because of concern at French colonial...
during the Kano-Sokoto Expedition, in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 26 February 1903 in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, Lieutenant Wright, with only one other officer and 44 men sustained the determined charges of 1,000 horse and 2,000 foot for two hours and when the enemy, after heavy losses, fell back in good order, Lieutenant Wright continued to follow them until they were in full retreat. The personal example of this officer, as well as his skilful leadership, contributed largely to the brilliant success of the affair.
In 1928, Wright was elected at a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
as Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Tavistock
Tavistock (UK Parliament constituency)
Tavistock was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Devon between 1330 and 1974. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough, consisting solely of the town of Tavistock; it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom until 1868, when its...
following the death of the sitting MP Philip Kenyon-Slaney
Philip Kenyon-Slaney
Major Philip Percy Kenyon-Slaney MC was a British Conservative Party politician.He was elected at the 1924 general election as Member of Parliament for the Tavistock division of Devon, and held the seat until his death in 1928, aged 32.- External links :...
. He was re-elected at the 1929 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1929
-Seats summary:-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987*-External links:***...
, but stood down at the 1931 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1931
The United Kingdom general election on Tuesday 27 October 1931 was the last in the United Kingdom not held on a Thursday. It was also the last election, and the only one under universal suffrage, where one party received an absolute majority of the votes cast.The 1931 general election was the...
.
His VC is currently on display at The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment Museum, Clandon Park
Clandon Park
Clandon Park is an 18th century Palladian mansion in West Clandon just outside Guildford, Surrey, in the United Kingdom. It has been a National Trust property since 1956....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
.
External links
- Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment: Wallace Duffield Wright
- Location of grave and VC medal (Brookwood Cemetery)
- The Brookwood Cemetery Society (Known Holders of the Victoria Cross Commemorated in Brookwood Cemetery)