William George Nicholas Manley
Encyclopedia
William George Nicholas Manley VC
, CB
(17 December 1831 - 16 November 1901) was born in 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.
during the Waikato-Hauhau Maori War, New Zealand
when the following deed took place on 29 April 1864 near Tauranga
, New Zealand
, during the assault on the rebel pā
("pah") Gate Pā
, for which he was awarded the VC.
"For services with the British Ambulance Corps caring for the wounded of the 22nd Division in the actions of Chateau-neuf and Bretoncelle, on 18th and 21st December 1870, and the battles of Orleans and Cravant, on 10th December 1870."
It was reported in the Daily Mail
of 24 January 2006, that Manley was awarded the German Iron Cross
for tending the wounded during the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870-71. He is the only recipient of both the VC and the Iron Cross. He also earned himself 18 medals, including the most prestigious medals of France and Afghanistan. Manley eventually achieved the rank of surgeon general
.
After having been awarded a set of high ranking medals unmatched in history, he was offered a knighthood by Queen Victoria. However, he did not accept the title, as he did not believe that he could afford the lifestyle of a knight and therefore he politely refused.
Manley died in Cheltenham
, Gloucestershire
, on 16 November 1901, and his medals are on display in the medals gallery of Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
in Woolwich, south east 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...
(17 December 1831 - 16 November 1901) was born in Dublin and was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
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
Manley was 32 years old, and an assistant surgeon in the Royal Regiment of Artillery, British ArmyBritish 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 Waikato-Hauhau Maori War, New Zealand
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
when the following deed took place on 29 April 1864 near Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, during the assault on the rebel pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
("pah") Gate Pā
Gate Pa
Gate Pā was the name of a Māori Pā or fortress built in 1864 only from the main British base of Camp Te Papa at Tauranga, during the Tauranga Campaign of the New Zealand Land Wars...
, for which he was awarded the VC.
Further information
Iron Cross
CITATION (Iron Cross - 2nd Class) Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
"For services with the British Ambulance Corps caring for the wounded of the 22nd Division in the actions of Chateau-neuf and Bretoncelle, on 18th and 21st December 1870, and the battles of Orleans and Cravant, on 10th December 1870."
It was reported in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
of 24 January 2006, that Manley was awarded the German Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
for tending the wounded during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-71. He is the only recipient of both the VC and the Iron Cross. He also earned himself 18 medals, including the most prestigious medals of France and Afghanistan. Manley eventually achieved the rank of surgeon general
Surgeon-General (United Kingdom)
The Surgeon-General is the senior medical officer of the British Armed Forces; the post is held by the senior of the three individual service medical directors....
.
After having been awarded a set of high ranking medals unmatched in history, he was offered a knighthood by Queen Victoria. However, he did not accept the title, as he did not believe that he could afford the lifestyle of a knight and therefore he politely refused.
Manley died in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, on 16 November 1901, and his medals are on display in the medals gallery of Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
Firepower - The Royal Artillery Museum
Firepower: The Royal Artillery Museum is a military museum in Woolwich in south-east London, England, which tells the story of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and of the Royal Arsenal.-History:...
in Woolwich, south east London.
External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Gloucestershire)
- Surgeon-General W.G.N. Manley