Victoria Cross Holder Graves in South Africa and Elsewhere

I have seen 3 Victoria Cross holder graves during my travels in the various cemeteries in and around Johannesburg, I know there are more, I just haven't found them as yet. Hopefully one day I will find more, but that's something to look at as a long term goal. I am also happy to include VC holders graves that anybody else has found, if you have a photograph of one please contact me via the Contact Page. List of South African VC Holders is courtesy of Kevin Brazier, author of "The COMPLETE VICTORIA CROSS, A Full Chronological Record of All Holders of Britain's Highest Award for Gallantry". Also worth reading is "FOR VALOUR" and "VICTORIA CROSSES OF THE ANGLO BOER WAR" by Ian Uys, published by Fortress Books.

The Victoria Cross was instituted on 29 January 1856 by Queen Victoria at the request of Prince Albert. It is the premier award for gallantry, and is available to all ranks, to cover actions since the outbreak of the Crimean War in 1854. It is described as a cross patteé, the obverse is a lion guardant on the royal crown, with the words "FOR VALOUR" on a semi circular scroll. The reverse is a circular panel on which is engraved the date of the act for which the decoration was awarded. The cross is suspended on a ring from a seriffed "V" attached to a suspension bar decorated with laurel leaves hanging from a crimson ribbon. The reverse of the suspension bar is engraved with the name, rank and ship, regiment or squadron of the recipient. The medal was originally made from the bronze of Russian guns captured in the Crimean War, but guns captured in other conficts have been used at various periods.
Some of the links below are externally linked to the eGSSA - Gravestones in South Africa. Library, and, due to copyright restrictions the photographs may not be reproduced directly here. As always my special thanks must go to Alta Griffiths for her help as well as to the many photographers who regularly contribute images to this project.
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Victoria Cross replica	Capt. David Reginald Younger. VC. 11 July 1900 Krugersdorp Old Cemetery
John Francis David Shaul. VC. 13 September 1953 Boksburg Cemetery	FlLt. A.F.W. Beauchamp-Proctor. VC. 21 June 1921 Mafikeng Cemetery Photo Courtesy of Terry Cawood
Capt. Oswald Austin Reid. VC. 02/11/1893 - 27/10/1920 Braamfontein Cemetery	Lt. Fred H.S. Roberts. VC. 15 December 1899 Grave site photo Courtesy of Eric Leach
Col. Edmund Hartley. VC. 20 March 1919 Brookwood Cemetery; Surrey, England. Photo Courtesy of Kevin Brazier	Lt Col. John 'Bomb' Sherwood-Kelly. VC. 18 August 1931 Brookwood Cemetery; Surrey, England. Photo Courtesy of Kevin Brazier
Asst. Commissary James Langley Dalton VC. 08 Jan 1887 Russell Road RC Cemetery. Photo Courtesy of Glenn Olsen	Capt. The Hon R.H. de Montmorency VC. 02 Sept 1898 Molteno. Photo Courtesy of Eric Leach
Capt. CH Mullins. VC. 23 May 1916 Grahamstown Old Cemetery Photo Courtesy of Eric Leach	Capt. E Swales. VC. 23 February 1945 Leopoldsburg War Cemetery Photo Courtesy of Jim Mandelblatt
Cpl JJ Clements VC. 24 February 1901 Newcastle Town Cemetery Photo Courtesy of Terry Cawood	Lt-Col JPH Crowe VC. 12 August 1857 Moth Hall (Uitenhage) Photo Courtesy of Ronnie Lovemore
Lt Teignmouth Melvill Lt Nevill Coghill Fugitive's Drift Photo Courtesy of Ian Uys	Clr Sgt James Craig VC. 06/09/1855 St. Mary's Cemetery, PE Photo Courtesy of Ronnie Lovemore
Lt R. Gorle 01/10/1918 Stellawood Cemetery Photo Courtesy of Eleanor Garvie	Capt W. Bloomfield 24/08/1916 Ermelo Cemetery External link eGSSA
Driver H. Glasock VC. 31/03/1900 Maitland Cemetery External link eGSSA	Sgt Robert Scott VC. 08/04/1879 Plumstead Cemetery External link eGSSA
Lt W. Dick-Cunyngham VC. 13/12/1879 Ladysmith Cemetery External link eGSSA

VC holders buried in South Africa and world wide.

South African VC burial information kindly supplied by Kevin Brazier. Author of The Complete Victoria Cross. Published by Pen & Sword.

21. Lance Sergeant JOSEPH MALONE, 25th October 1854, buried St. Andrew's Churchyard, Pinetown, Natal, South Africa. VC location, 13th/18th Hussar's Museum, Barnsley, Yorkshire, England.

36. Lieutenant FREDERICK MILLER, 5th November 1854, buried Ossuary Garden of Remembrance, Observatory, Cape Town, South Africa. VC location, not publicly held.

97. Colour Sergeant JAMES CRAIG, 6th September 1855, buried St. Mary's Cemetery, Valley Road, South End, Port Elizabeth, Cape Province, South Africa. VC location, Scot's Guards RHQ, Wellington Barracks, London, England.

153. Lt-Col JOSEPH CROWE, 12th August 1857, Grave relocated on 5 February 1977 to the Moth Garden of Remembrance in Uitenhage, South Africa. VC location, destroyed in a fire at his sister's farm, it is not known if an official replacement was issued.

302. Private THOMAS LANE, 21st August 1860, buried Gladstone Cemetery; RC Section, Row 4, Grave 23. Kimberley, South Africa. VC location, Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum, Winchester, Hampshire, England.

332. Private WILLIAM GRIFFITHS, 7th May 1867, buried in unmarked mass grave, Isandlwana, Natal, South Africa. VC location, South Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon, Wales.

345. Lt TEIGNMOUTH MELVILL, 22nd January 1879, buried with Lieutenant Nevill Coghill, Fugitive's Drift, below Itchiane Hill, South Africa. VC location, South Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon, Wales.

346. Lieutenant NEVILL COGHILL, 22nd January 1879, buried with Adjutant Teignmouth Melvill, Fugitive's Drift, below Itchiane Hill, South Africa. VC location, South Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon, Wales.

351. Assistant Commissary JAMES DALTON, 22nd/23rd January 1879, buried Russell Road RC Cemetery; Plot E. Port Elizabeth, South Africa. VC location, RLC Museum, Deepcut, Camberley, Surrey, England.

368. Sergeant ROBERT SCOTT, 8th April 1879, buried Plumstead Cemetery; Allotment EA, Grave 88. Wynberg, South Africa. VC location, Manchester Regiment Museum, The Town Hall, Ashton-under-Lyne, England.

371. Surgeon Major EDMUND HARTLEY, 5th June 1879, buried Brookwood Cemetery; St. Judes Avenue, Plot 2, Grave 193293. Cemetery Pales, Woking, Surrey, England. VC location, Army Medical Services Museum, Mytchett, Surrey, England.

373. Captain HENRY D'ARCY, 3rd July 1879, buried King William's Town Cemetery; Section D, Grave 32-33, family plot. Cape Province, South Africa. VC location, not publicly held.

374. Sergeant EDMUND O'TOOLE, 3rd July 1879, no known grave, died in Harare, Salisbury, Zimbabwe. VC location, not publicly held.

381. Lieutenant WILLIAM DICK-CUNYNGHAM, 13th December 1879, buried Ladysmith Cemetery, Natal, South Africa. VC location, Gordon Highlanders Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland.

389. Surgeon JOHN McCREA, 14th January 1881, buried Kokstad Cemetery, Transkei District, Cape Province, South Africa. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

391. Trooper JOHN DANAHER (or DANAGHER), 16th January 1881, buried Milton Cemetery; Plot M, Row 1, Grave 6. Milton Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. VC location, National Army Museum, London, England.

429. Lieutenant RAYMOND de MONTMORENCY, 2nd September 1898, buried Molteno Cemetery, near Dordrecht, South Africa. VC location, not publicly held.

436. Captain CHARLES MULLINS, 21st October 1899, buried Grahamstown Old Cemetery, South Africa. VC location, Imperial War Museum, London, England.

446. Lieutenant FREDERICK ROBERTS, 15th December 1899, buried Chievely War Cemetery; Plot 136. South Africa. VC location, National Army Museum, London, England.

449. Sergeant HORACE MARTINEAU, 26th December 1899, buried Andersons Bay Soldiers' Cemetery; Returned Serviceman's Area, Block 73, Plot 16. Dunedin, New Zealand. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

450. Trooper HORACE RAMSDEN, 26th December 1899, cremated at The Maitland Crematorium, Woltemade, Cape Town, South Africa. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

454. Trooper HERMAN ALBRECHT, 6th January 1900, buried in mass grave, Waggon Hill Cemetery, South Africa. VC location, Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.

457. Lieutenant FRANCIS PARSONS, 18th February 1900, buried Driefontein Cemetery; an isolated grave on the battlefield. Orange Free State, South Africa. VC location, Essex Regiment Museum, Chelmsford, Essex, England.

468. Driver HORACE GLASOCK, 31st March 1900, buried Maitland Road No. 4 Cemetery, Cape Town, South Africa. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

478. Captain DAVID YOUNGER, 11th July 1900, buried Krugersdorp Cemetery, Halgryn Street, Krugersdorp, South Africa. VC location, not publicly held.

497. Private JOHN BARRY, 7th/8th January 1901, buried Belfast Cemetery, East of Johannesburg, South Africa. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

500. Corporal JOHN CLEMENTS, 24th February 1901, buried Town Cemetery; Dutch Reform Section. Newcastle. South Africa. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

558. Bandsman THOMAS RENDLE, 20th November 1914, buried Maitland Road No. 1 Cemetery; Family Plot No. 24598. Cape Town, South Africa. VC location, Duke of Cornwell's Light Infantry Museum, Bodmin, Cornwell, England.

731. Private WILLIAM FAULDS, 18th July 1916, buried Pioneer Cemetery, Remembrance Drive, Harare, Zimbabwe. VC location, unknown, medal stolen from National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa in 1994.

746. Captain WILLIAM BLOOMFIELD (born BROOMFIELD), 24th August 1916, buried Ermelo Cemetery, Ousthuizen Street, Transvaal, South Africa. VC location, with recipient's family.

783. Captain OSWALD REID, 8th to 10th March 1917, buried Braamfontein Cemetery; Section EC, Plot 22932. Johannesburg, South Africa. VC location, Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.

844. Second Lieutenant DENNIS HEWITT, 31st July 1917, no known grave, killed near St-Julien, Ypres, Belgium. VC location, not publicly held.

891. Captain CLEMENT ROBERTSON, 4th October 1917, buried Oxford Road Cemetery; Plot III, Row F, Grave 7. Near Ypres, Belgium. VC location, not publicly held.

919. Acting Lieutenant Colonel JOHN 'BOMB' SHERWOOD-KELLY, 20th November 1917, buried Brookwood Cemetery; Block 86, Grave 196296. Cemetery Pales, Woking, Surrey, England. VC location, National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.

955. Acting Captain REGINALD HAYWARD, 21st/22nd March 1918, ashes scattered at Putney Vale Crematorium; Garden of Remembrance. Stag Lane, London, England. VC location, The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire & Wiltshire Regiment Museum, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.

1029. Acting Captain ANDREW BEAUCHAMP-PROCTOR (born PROCTOR), 8th August to 8th October 1918, buried Mafeking Cemetery; European Section, Grave 1050-2. South Africa. VC location, not publicly held.

1108. Temporary Lieutenant ROBERT GORLE, 1st October 1918, buried Stellawood Cemetery; Section K, Grave 144. Durban, Natal, South Africa. VC location, The Ashcroft Collection.

1217. Sergeant QUENTIN SMYTHE, 5th June 1942, ashes buried on his farm, Nottingham Road, Natal, South Africa. VC location, original unknown, the official replacement is in The Ashcroft Collection.

1293. Lieutenant GERARD NORTON, 31st August 1944, burial location unknown, died in Harare, Salisbury, Zimbabwe. VC location, not publicly held.

1316. Acting Major EDWIN SWALES, 23rd February 1945, buried Leopoldsburg War Cemetery; Plot VIII, Row C, Grave 5. Limburg, Holland. VC location, National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa.

© DR Walker 2008-2012. Updated 04 November 2011
Photo of the graves of A.F.W. Beauchamp-Proctor, and JJ Clements by Terry Cawood,
Photo of Fred Roberts memorial by Tony Wood. Photo of Edwin Swales grave courtesy of Jim Mandelblatt. Photo of John Sherwood-Kelly and Edmund Hartley graves courtesy of Kevin Brazier. Photo of James Dalton grave courtesy of Glenn Olsen. Photo of CH Mullins, F Roberts and R.H. de Montmorency graves courtesy of Eric Leach. Updated data on Joseph Crowe burial site courtesy of Jonathan Ossher, photo courtesy of Ronnie Lovemore. James Craig photograph by Ronnie Lovemore. Robert Gorle photograph by Eleanor Garvie.
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