Thomas Edwards | |
Birth Date: | 1863 4, df=y |
Birth Place: | Brill, Buckinghamshire, UK |
Death Place: | Woodford Bridge, London, UK |
Placeofburial: | St Mary's Churchyard, Chigwell |
Allegiance: | United Kingdom |
Serviceyears: | 1880 - 1892 |
Rank: | Private |
Unit: | The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) |
Battles: | |
Awards: | Victoria Cross |
Thomas Edwards VC (19 April 1863 - 27 March 1953) born in England, 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.
He was 20 years old, and a private in the 1st Battalion, The Black Watch (Royal Highlanders), British Army during the Mahdist War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 13 March 1884 at the Battle of Tamai, Sudan, when both members of the crew of one of the Gatling guns had been killed, Private Edwards, after bayoneting two Arabs and himself receiving a wound from a spear, remained with the gun, defending it throughout the action. His citation reads:
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Black Watch Museum in Balhousie Castle, Perth, Scotland.