Edward St John Daniel (Deserter)

Edward St John Daniel VC was born at Clifton, Bristol, England, on 17 January 1837, and entered the Royal Navy as a young cadet in 1851. He saw early service in the Second Anglo-Burmese War before becoming closely associated with Captain William Peel and the Naval Brigade during the Crimean War. By the time of his Victoria Cross actions, Daniel was only seventeen years old and serving as a Midshipman aboard HMS Diamond. (Wikipedia)

Daniel’s Victoria Cross was awarded for three separate acts of gallantry during the Crimean War. On 18 October 1854 at Sevastopol, he volunteered with men from HMS Diamond to bring powder to a battery from a wagon exposed to heavy enemy fire after the horses had been disabled. On 5 November 1854, during the Battle of Inkerman, he served as aide-de-camp to Captain Peel and remained with him throughout a long and dangerous day. On 18 June 1855, during the assault on the Redan, Daniel was again beside Peel in the first scaling party and helped bind Peel’s severely wounded arm before assisting him back to safety. (Wikipedia)

For these actions Daniel was awarded the Victoria Cross, announced in the London Gazette on 24 February 1857. At the time, he was among the youngest of the original VC recipients. He was unable to attend the first great Victoria Cross investiture at Hyde Park in June 1857 because he was then serving overseas with Peel. After service connected with the Indian Mutiny, Daniel received his Victoria Cross at Gyah, Bengal, on 13 July 1858. (victoriacrossonline.co.uk)

Following the death of Captain Peel in 1858, Daniel’s promising career began to decline. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1859 and for a short time appeared destined for distinction in the Royal Navy. However, his later conduct brought him into conflict with naval authority. In 1861, facing serious charges and having deserted rather than submit to trial, Daniel became the first Victoria Cross recipient to have his name erased from the Victoria Cross Roll. His VC was formally forfeited on 4 September 1861. (Rogers Study)

Daniel’s later life was short and unsettled. He eventually made his way to New Zealand, where he died at Hokitika on 20 May 1868, aged only thirty-one. He is buried in Hokitika Cemetery. His story remains one of the most complicated in Victoria Cross history: a brave young naval officer whose gallantry was beyond dispute, but whose later disgrace led to the loss of the medal he had so courageously earned. (Wikipedia)