Edric Gifford, 3rd Baron Gifford

He scouted hostile ground and led the advance under gunfire.

Edric Frederick Gifford, third Baron Gifford, led scouts during the Ashanti campaign of 1873-74. Born on 5 July 1849 and educated at Harrow, he entered the Army in 1869 and inherited the peerage in 1872. He transferred to the 24th Regiment before the expedition to West Africa.

Beyond the River Prah, Gifford's scouts worked close to the opposing forces. He repeatedly reconnoitred dangerous ground, identified enemy positions and captured prisoners. At Becquah he advanced in the assault and exposed himself to heavy fire. His Victoria Cross recognized the sustained daring and usefulness of this scouting work, rather than a single isolated encounter.

Queen Victoria presented the Cross in March 1874. Gifford later served in southern Africa during the Zulu War and searched for King Cetshwayo in 1879. His scouts located the king's hiding place, although another detachment made the capture.

Promoted brevet major, Gifford moved into colonial administration. He served as colonial secretary in Western Australia from 1880 to 1883 and subsequently held the equivalent post in Gibraltar. He died near Chichester on 5 June 1911 and was buried at Bosham. His campaign decorations record service in both West and southern Africa, while the Cross commemorates the initiative that made his scouts valuable to the advancing army.

Victoria Cross citation London Gazette, 31 March 1874, page1921:

For his gallant conduct during the operations, and especially at the taking of Becquah.

The Officer commanding the Expeditionary Force reports that Lord Gifford was in charge of the Scouts after the Army crossed the Prah, and that it is no exaggeration to say that since the Adansi Hills were passed, he daily carried his life in his hand in the performance of his most dangerous duties. He hung upon the rear of the enemy, discovering their position, and ferreting out their intentions. With no other white man with him, he captured numerous prisoners; but Sir Garnet Wolseley brings him forward for this mark of Royal favour most especially for his conduct at the taking of Becquah, into which place he penetrated with his scouts before the troops carried it, when his gallantry and courage were most conspicuous.