William Napier
Encyclopedia
William Napier VC
(20 August 1828 - 2 June 1908) was an English
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 Yorkshire
, England
on 20 August 1828, the son of Samuel Napier of the Scottish
Napiers
and his wife Mary (née Horsfall).
William was educated at a private school and grew up in a military family. His uncle William Napier was a Grenadier Guard (2nd Battalion)
, who fought at the Battle of Waterloo
in 1815 and was awarded the Waterloo Medal
which he gave to William.
By the time William had left school he had the urge to join the army. On 10 December 1846 he enlisted at Leeds
, Yorkshire with the 13th Light Infantry.
, Crimea
, by sea on 29 June 1855.
William described Sevastopol
as follows in 1897:
The French had the honour of sealing the fate of Sevastopol. On 8 September 1855, they captured the Malakoff, the most formidable of its fortresses. The war was now virtually over. A treaty was concluded in March 1856. Following the battle at Sevastopol, Sergeant William Napier was awarded the Crimea Medal
with clasp and the Turkish Medal.
He fought in the following battles in the Crimea:
, and the remainder of troops throughout Bengal soon followed their example. On 30 August 1857, the 1st Battalion under the command of Lord Mark Kerr, embarked at Port Elizabeth (South Africa)
at 24 hours notice, for India, and landed at Calcutta on 3 October 1857. On 27 March 1858, Lord Mark Kerr received orders from the Viceroy to march to the relief of Azimghur, which is about 50 miles north of Benares
. They arrived at Azimghur on 5 April 1858 , and commenced fighting the next morning.
In this action Sergeant William Napier saw Private Benjamin Milnes lying severely wounded and went to his rescue. While surrounded by Sepoys he bandaged Private Milnes wounds. Suddenly he was shot at, leaving a gaping wound over his left eye. Blinded by the blood pouring down his face, Sergeant Napier continued to fight back until he finally picked up Private Milnes and carried him to safety. This daring act was sufficient to induce Lord Mark Kerr to ask the sergeant whether he would like a commission. The sergeant declined that honour. For his heroism he was specially mentioned in dispatches and received the Victoria Cross and promotion to the rank of Sergeant Major.
Through to December 1858 he fought in the following battles in India:
In October 1862, Sergeant-Major William Napier VC, was in transit to Calcutta
, and on 8 December 1862, he was discharged.
William found work as a clerk and later met and married Elizabeth Slater, the daughter of William and Margaret Slater of Ripon, Yorkshire, England, on 16 September 1863 in Melbourne. William and Elizabeth had a son, Alfred Stephen Slater Napier, and a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Napier, who both died in infancy. Elizabeth Napier died 25 April 1867, age 37.
William Napier married secondly, Ruth Ann Hirst, widow of Joseph Graham Hirst of Thornes by Wakefield, Yorkshire and daughter of Thomas Crompton Booth of Sowerby, Yorkshire, on 5 November 1869, at Bendigo, Victoria.
William Napier worked as a clerk and then a miner for a short time before he became a cordial manufacturer based in Mackey Street, Rochester. William was a member and treasurer of the Rochester branch of the Masons. He was involved in many duties in Rochester and was listed as a pioneer of the district.
Sergeant-Major William Napier moved to Melbourne after his property burnt down. After a few years in Melbourne he became sick and returned to Rochester in 1907. He stayed with John and Ethel Abbey in Mackey Street next to where his home once was. He died on 2 June 1908 at the Abbey home, leaving his wife Ruth Ann Napier and his adopted stepdaughter Eliza. Ruth Ann Napier and her daughter moved to Western Australia. Ruth died at her grandson Ernest Alfred Winch's home in 1924.
, Taunton
, Somerset
, England.
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....
(20 August 1828 - 2 June 1908) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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.
Early life
William Napier was born at KeighleyKeighley
Keighley is a town and civil parish within the metropolitan borough of the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England. It is situated northwest of Bradford and is at the confluence of the River Aire and the River Worth...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 20 August 1828, the son of Samuel Napier of the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Napiers
Clan Napier
Clan Napier is a Scottish clan originally from lands around Loch Lomond, but with presence in Stirlingshire, Edinburgh, Aberdeenshire and Kincardineshire.-Origins of the Clan:There is some debate about the origin of the name Napier...
and his wife Mary (née Horsfall).
William was educated at a private school and grew up in a military family. His uncle William Napier was a Grenadier Guard (2nd Battalion)
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
, who fought at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
in 1815 and was awarded the Waterloo Medal
Waterloo Medal
The Waterloo Medal was awarded to any soldier of the British Army who took part in one or more of the following battles: Battle of Ligny , Battle of Quatre Bras , and the Battle of Waterloo ....
which he gave to William.
By the time William had left school he had the urge to join the army. On 10 December 1846 he enlisted at Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire with the 13th Light Infantry.
Crimea
In 1855 William Napier left the England with the 1st Battalion, 13th (1st Somersetshire) (Prince Albert's Light Infantry) Regiment of Foot under General Lord Mark Kerr, G.C.B., and arrived at BalaklavaBalaklava
Balaklava is a former city on the Crimean peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol which carries a special administrative status in Ukraine. It was a city in its own right until 1957 when it was formally incorporated into the municipal borders of Sevastopol by the Soviet government...
, Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, by sea on 29 June 1855.
William described Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
as follows in 1897:
The French had the honour of sealing the fate of Sevastopol. On 8 September 1855, they captured the Malakoff, the most formidable of its fortresses. The war was now virtually over. A treaty was concluded in March 1856. Following the battle at Sevastopol, Sergeant William Napier was awarded the Crimea Medal
Crimea Medal
The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units which fought in the Crimean War of 1854-56 against Russia....
with clasp and the Turkish Medal.
He fought in the following battles in the Crimea:
- 16 August 1855, Battle of Tchernaya, Crimea.
- 6 and 7 September 1855, in the trenches at Sevastopol.
- 8 September 1855 -1856, Capture of Redan and the fall of Sevastopol.
- 6 April 1858, Relief of Azimghur.
Indian Mutiny
In May 1857 the native troops at Meerut mutiniedIndian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, and the remainder of troops throughout Bengal soon followed their example. On 30 August 1857, the 1st Battalion under the command of Lord Mark Kerr, embarked at Port Elizabeth (South Africa)
Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape
Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, east of Cape Town. The city, often shortened to PE and nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City", stretches for 16 km along Algoa Bay, and is one of the major seaports in South Africa...
at 24 hours notice, for India, and landed at Calcutta on 3 October 1857. On 27 March 1858, Lord Mark Kerr received orders from the Viceroy to march to the relief of Azimghur, which is about 50 miles north of Benares
Varanasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
. They arrived at Azimghur on 5 April 1858 , and commenced fighting the next morning.
In this action Sergeant William Napier saw Private Benjamin Milnes lying severely wounded and went to his rescue. While surrounded by Sepoys he bandaged Private Milnes wounds. Suddenly he was shot at, leaving a gaping wound over his left eye. Blinded by the blood pouring down his face, Sergeant Napier continued to fight back until he finally picked up Private Milnes and carried him to safety. This daring act was sufficient to induce Lord Mark Kerr to ask the sergeant whether he would like a commission. The sergeant declined that honour. For his heroism he was specially mentioned in dispatches and received the Victoria Cross and promotion to the rank of Sergeant Major.
Through to December 1858 he fought in the following battles in India:
- Belwah
- Captaingunge
- Bustee
- Hurryah
- Debreheah
- Judgespore
- Bhanpore
- Domereagunge
- Toolsepore
In October 1862, Sergeant-Major William Napier VC, was in transit to Calcutta
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
, and on 8 December 1862, he was discharged.
Australia
He left Calcutta on 21 December 1862 at 8:38pm on the "Madras" and arrived in Melbourne, Australia in January 1863.William found work as a clerk and later met and married Elizabeth Slater, the daughter of William and Margaret Slater of Ripon, Yorkshire, England, on 16 September 1863 in Melbourne. William and Elizabeth had a son, Alfred Stephen Slater Napier, and a daughter, Mary Elizabeth Napier, who both died in infancy. Elizabeth Napier died 25 April 1867, age 37.
William Napier married secondly, Ruth Ann Hirst, widow of Joseph Graham Hirst of Thornes by Wakefield, Yorkshire and daughter of Thomas Crompton Booth of Sowerby, Yorkshire, on 5 November 1869, at Bendigo, Victoria.
William Napier worked as a clerk and then a miner for a short time before he became a cordial manufacturer based in Mackey Street, Rochester. William was a member and treasurer of the Rochester branch of the Masons. He was involved in many duties in Rochester and was listed as a pioneer of the district.
Sergeant-Major William Napier moved to Melbourne after his property burnt down. After a few years in Melbourne he became sick and returned to Rochester in 1907. He stayed with John and Ethel Abbey in Mackey Street next to where his home once was. He died on 2 June 1908 at the Abbey home, leaving his wife Ruth Ann Napier and his adopted stepdaughter Eliza. Ruth Ann Napier and her daughter moved to Western Australia. Ruth died at her grandson Ernest Alfred Winch's home in 1924.
Further information
His adopted stepdaughter Eliza married William Henry Winch, ancestor of Lord John Napier-Winch of Western Australia. William Napier's personal belongings are now held by Lord John Napier-Winch.The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at Somerset Military MuseumSomerset Military Museum
The Somerset Military Museum is part of the Somerset County Museum located in the 12th century great hall of Taunton Castle, in Taunton, Somerset. It is a "registered and accredited museum" with the British Museums, Libraries, and Archives Council, and is a part of the Museum of Somerset. The...
, Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England.