George Dare Dowell

He rowed into heavy gunfire to save men from a damaged boat.

George Dare Dowell was born in Sussex on 15 February 1831, the son of a Royal Navy paymaster. Educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross, he entered the Royal Marines and served with the Royal Marine Artillery. During the Crimean War he took part in operations against Russian coastal positions in the Baltic.

On 13 July 1855, at Viborg in the Gulf of Finland, an explosion disabled a cutter from HMS Arrogant. Dowell, then a lieutenant aboard HMS Ruby, took three volunteers in a boat to its assistance under heavy fire. He rescued men from the stricken craft, helped save its remaining crew and towed the damaged boat out of danger.

He received the Victoria Cross from Queen Victoria at the first Hyde Park investiture in 1857. His later service included musketry instruction, and he attained lieutenant-colonel. He married Mary Mansel and raised a large family before emigrating to New Zealand. He died near Auckland on 3 August 1910, aged 79, and was buried in Purewa Cemetery.

Victoria Cross citation: An explosion having occurred in one of the rocket-boats of the “Arrogant,” during the attack on some forts near Viborg, Lieutenant Dowell (who was on board the “Ruby” gunboat, while his own boat was receiving a supply of rockets) was the first to jump into the quarter-boat of the “Ruby,” and with three volunteers, himself pulling the stroke-oar, proceeded instantly, under a heavy fire of grape and musketry, to the assistance of the cutter’s crew. The Russians endeavoured to prevent his object of saving the men and boat, but Lieutenant Dowell succeeded in taking up three of the boat’s crew and placing them on board the “Ruby;” and, on his returning to the spot, was mainly instrumental in keeping afloat, and bringing off the sinking cutter. (Despatch from Rear-Admiral Honourable Sir R.S. Dundas, 17th July, 1855, and Letter from Colonel Wesley, Deputy Adjutant-General of Royal Marines.)

Supplement to The London Gazette of 24 February 1857. 24 February 1857, Numb. 21971, p. 654