Daniel Cambridge VC

Daniel Cambridge VC 1820 - 1882

Attesting at Lisburn on 20^th June, 1839, he gave his occupation as labourer and he is recorded as being 5 feet 8 inches tall with a fresh complexion, dark grey eyes and brown hair. He enlisted on 24^th June into 4^th Bn, Royal Regiment of Artillery, as Gunner and Driver and served with 2^nd Coy in Malta from 14 February, 1841, until 16 March,1847.

On 21^st August, 1848, a transfer to the 1^st Coy, 7^th Bn, took Daniel to Quebec, Canada, until 21^st November, 1853. On 1^st March, 1854, Daniel briefly reverted to 4^th Bn, then stationed at Woolwich, and transferred to the 8^th Coy, 11^th Bn, on 1^st April, 1854, embarking in June for the Crimea via Scutari and Varna.

Landing at Kalamata Bay with the siege train on 14^th September,1854, Daniel took part in the 1^st Royal Artillery bombardment of Sebastopol on 17^th October. He then saw action at the Battle of Inkerman on 5^th November, 1854, and returned to Sebastopol shortly thereafter. Promoted to Bombardier on 3^rd April 1855, Daniel took part in the remaining five Royal Artillery bombardments of Sebastopol of 9^th April, 6^th June (Quarries captured), 17^th to 18^th June, 17^th to 20^th August and 5^th to 8^th September.

On 8^th September, 1855, following the 3-day long 6^th bombardment of Sebastopol Daniel accepted the kind invitation of Captain Gonrow Davis RA to join him with the spiking party.

The French had launched their attack, whilst the Russians were predictably at lunch, and took the Malakov Tower.

The British objective for this, the second assault on the Redan, was to take the Redan from the Quarries. But the assault failed due to the murderous barrage of Russian shot and shell the like of which would not be seen again for another 60 years on the Somme.

The Gunners were unable to spike any Russian guns. So they busied themselves recovering what wounded they could in front of the advanced trench to the relative safety of the rear trenches; although it has often been debated as to how much protection was afforded by the trenches before the Redan.

In the early part of the action Daniel was shot twice, in the arm and leg, although only the leg wound is recorded in the papers of the Royal Artillery. In between rejecting numerous “requests” by officers to retire from the field because of his injuries Daniel sallied forth time and again in front of the advanced trench to carry wounded infantrymen to safety.

In the latter part of the day, Daniel sprang forward to bring in yet another wounded man, Major Lewis of the 3^rd Buffs. While carrying this severely wounded officer back to the safety of the advanced trench Daniel was seen to stagger. He collapsed arriving at the advanced trench and he was subsequently found to have been shot a third time, through his right jaw, and, incapacitated, he took no further part in the action.

Explosions were heard coming from the Russian defences during that night of 8^th September and a small party advanced to find the Redan deserted, destroyed and evacuated by the Russian defenders. The following day, 9^th September, the Russian army retired by a bridge of boats to the north evacuating the south side of Sebastopol. The Russian navy then sank all their ships of war in Sebastopol harbour thus signalling Russia’s capitulation.

Daniel returned to Woolwich with 8^th Coy, 11^th Bn, in March, 1856, and he was promoted to Sergeant with 7^th Coy, 11^th Bn, on 21^st April, 1856.

Earlier in 1856 the Victoria Cross was instituted, and retrospectively awarded to 1854. On 19^th December, 1856, Lt. Col Strange CB recommended to the Adjutant-General of the Forces that Daniel be awarded the Victoria Cross:-

“8 Sept – Early in the day he was wounded in the leg but did not on that account leave the Assaulting Party though recommended to do so – At a subsequent part of the day he went out in front of the advanced trench in the Quarries under a heavy fire in order to bring in a wounded man, in performing which service he was severely wounded a 2^nd time, having been shot through the jaw”.

Lt Col Strange’s recommendation was supported by Capt. Gonrow Davis RA, who also received the Victoria Cross for his gallant deeds with the spiking party in the Quarries on 8^th September, 1855.

Daniel was next promoted Master Gunner on 18^th April, 1857, with 8^th Coastal Bty, Athlone, County Roscommon, Leinster & Connaught. Master Gunners were responsible for the maintenance of the guns and ammunition, and the supervision of repository work, in coastal batteries.

On 23^rd June, 1857, the London Gazette announced that he had been awarded the Victoria Cross with the following citation:-

“For having volunteered for the spiking party at the assault on the Redan, September 8, 1855, and continuing therewith, after being severely wounded; and for having, in the after part of the same day, gone out in front of the advanced trench, under a heavy fire, to bring in a wounded man, in performing which service, he was severely wounded a second time”.

On 26^th June, 1857, at the first Investiture of the Victoria Cross in Hyde Park, Queen Victoria presented Master Gunner Daniel Cambridge with the 22^nd of the first 62 Victoria Crosses she awarded that glorious day. Danny was a Bombardier when he won his Cross, which is engraved with the rank of Serjeant, Danny's rank when he was recommended for the award by Lt. Col. Strange.

On 18^th July, 1857, Daniel was presented with the Sardinian Al Valore Militare, the Military Medal of Valour, awarded by the King of Sardinia to 450 specially selected officers and men of the Royal Navy and the Army in recognition of services in the Crimea.

On 16^th July, 1861, Daniel received the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal with a £10 per annum gratuity.

Daniel was posted to Fort Tarbert, Tarbert, Co. Kerry, Munster, on 11^th February, 1862, from where, in 1865, he wrote to J.A. Brown, the author of “England’s Artillerymen” :-

“... I was three times wounded on 8th September. However, it is very little difference now although I suffer from my wounds and still will from what doctors say until my last. I was twice wounded when asked to retire to the rear but that I did by all means declined to do although hard pressed to do so by several officers. But finding I had the strength to stand another chance I advanced a third time with the 3rd Buffs when I received a gunshot wound in my right jaw and by the assistance of several doctors I have at present got 185 bits of bone out of my jaw. And I can assure you that I suffer very much from my head. I may say all over.”

Finally stationed at Redoubt Battery, Freshwater, Isle of Wight, Daniel was pensioned as a Master Gunner on 27^th June, 1871, after completing thirty two years service. He retired to Plumstead and took charge of the building once occupied by the Board Of Ordnance, which is opposite Firepower, the Museum of the Royal Artillery, Woolwich.

Also in 1871 Daniel was appointed to Queen Victoria's Body Guard, the Yeomen of the Guard.

Daniel Cambridge died on 4^th June, 1882, of the wounds he sustained in the Quarries, before the Redan, Sebastopol, at 57 Frederick Place, Plumstead, and aged 62 years. He was survived by his wife Ann, formally Bigham, and their children William (born in Woolwich in 1854), Mary Josephine (Athlone 1857), Agnes (Athlone 1859), Daniel Johnson (Athlone 1861), Catherine (Tarbert 1863) and Elizabeth (Lizzie) (Tarbert 1865).

Daniel's son William enlisted in the Royal Engineers transferring to the Army Service Corps, Commissariat & Transport. William was serving as a Conductor in the Cape, South Africa, at the time of Daniel's death.

Daniel's son Daniel Johnson Cambridge served in the Royal Artillery and the latter's daughter Nurse Kathleen Cambridge worked in Belgium with Nurse Edith Cavell from 1911. Kathleen passed through the British lines on the eve of the Battle of Mons in 1914 and last saw Nurse Cavell a few days before Nurse Cavell was arrested in August 1915. Nurse Cavell was court marshalled, found guilty of aiding the escape of 200 allied soldiers through German lines and was shot by firing squad. Kathleen, known as the Angel of Mons by soldiers whose wounds she treated, was repatriated to England in January 1916. Kathleen joined Queen Alexandra's Imperial Military Nursing Service but because she was a civilian nurse during the Battle of Mons she was not entitled to campaign medals. A special case was put forward and King George V personally presented Kathleen with the 1914 Mons Star. In 1919, still serving with QAIMNS, Kathleen was Gazetted and received the Order of the Royal Red Cross.

Daniel's daughter Agnes, a Certified Teacher, served with the Queen's Army Schoolmistresses and taught in British Army schools in Ireland, notably Galway, County Galway, Munster. Agnes' son CSM Edward Howell, born in Galway, County Galway, served in the Army Service Corps attached to 20^th Motorised Ambulance Convoy in the Great War, was Gazetted and awarded the Military Medal, and awarded the Croix de Guerre,. Edward was also Gazetted and awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 1919. Edward's son George served in the R.A.F. during World War II and daughter Joyce served in the W.A.A.F. from 1940 to 1950. Joyce's daughter Lesley served in the W.R.A.C. and is married to BSM David Freeman RA (retired). Lesley and David's daughter is currently serving in HM Forces. Edward's son James served in the Royal Tank Regiment from 1943 until 1967. From 1958 to 1960 James was Gunnery Instructor at the Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot. James' sons Peter and Michael served in the Royal Observer Corps and the Royal Navy respectively.

Peter JW Howell

Son of RSM James Donald Howell, Royal Tank Regiment

and Sgt. Enid Howell, formally Hollins, Auxiliary Territorial Service & Women's Royal Army Corps

Grandson of CSM William Hollins, Durham Light Infantry

Grandson of CSM Edward Howell MM MSM C de G, Royal Army Service Corps

Great grandson of Agnes Howell, formally Cambridge, Queen's Army Schoolmistresses

Great-great grandson of Master Gunner Daniel Cambridge VC Royal Artillery Yeoman of the Guard

peter_howell@btinternet.com      -     22^nd May, 2009