Edmund Henry Lenon

At twenty-one, Edmund Henry Lenon swam through enemy fire, crossed the flooded ditches of a Chinese fortress, and forced his way through an embrasure to become one of the first British soldiers inside the North Taku Fort. It was an act of extraordinary courage during the Second Opium War, and it earned him the Victoria Cross.

Born at Mortlake, Surrey, on 26 August 1838, Lenon was educated at Westminster School before entering the British Army. He was commissioned as an ensign in the 67th Regiment of Foot in 1855 and promoted lieutenant the following year. In 1860, the regiment deployed to China as part of the Anglo-French campaign against the Qing Empire. On 21 August, during the assault on the North Taku Fort, Lenon joined Lieutenant Robert Montresor Rogers and Private John McDougall in a daring attack on the defences. The three men swam the fort’s ditches, helped one another climb through an embrasure, and established themselves on the walls before the main attacking force had gained entry. The official citation praised Lenon for his distinguished gallantry, and his Victoria Cross was gazetted in 1861.

Lenon also took part in the advance on Peking and was awarded the China War Medal 1857–60 with the clasps Taku Forts 1860 and Pekin 1860. He was promoted captain in November 1861 and later received the brevet rank of major before retiring from the Regular Army in 1869. His military service did not end there. In 1871 he assumed command of a Kent rifle volunteer formation, serving as a lieutenant-colonel until 1883 and continuing to contribute to Britain’s Volunteer Force long after his active campaigning had ended.

His later life was marked by financial hardship, but the courage he displayed at the Taku Forts remained beyond dispute. Edmund Henry Lenon died in London on 15 April 1893, aged fifty-four. His surviving honours, the Victoria Cross and the China War Medal with two clasps, preserve the story of a young infantry officer who chose to advance when the path ahead was defended by walls, water, and enemy fire.