George Gardiner

In the trenches before Sevastopol on the night of 22 March 1855, Sergeant George Gardiner of the 57th (West Middlesex) Regiment of Foot found himself at the centre of a sudden Russian assault on the British Left Attack. The covering parties had been driven from part of the position, but Gardiner, who was serving as Orderly Sergeant to the field officers in the trenches, rallied the men and helped recover and hold the lost ground. It was the first of two acts during the siege for which he would receive the Victoria Cross.

Gardiner was born about 1821 in the parish of Clonallon, near Warrenpoint, County Down, the son of Francis Gardiner, a farmer. He enlisted in the British Army at Lisburn on 29 May 1840 and joined the 57th Regiment of Foot, later famous as the "Die Hards." His advancement through the non-commissioned ranks was steady. He was promoted corporal on 26 December 1846 and sergeant on 28 August 1848. His overseas service included Corfu, Malta, Aden and the East Indies. On 21 May 1849 he married Elizabeth Courtney, daughter of Sergeant John Courtney, in County Cavan.

The 57th went on active service in the Crimean War, where Gardiner distinguished himself repeatedly. Regimental records credit him with the Distinguished Conduct Medal for his conduct at Inkerman on 5 November 1854. The surviving medal group later acquired by the Middlesex Regiment included his DCM, confirming it as part of his recognised honours.

On 22 March 1855, during a major Russian night sortie against the Allied siege lines, Gardiner was serving with the 57th on Green Hill. Russian forces attacked both British siege sectors while a larger assault struck the neighbouring French positions. When the British covering parties on the Left Attack were driven back, Gardiner rallied them and helped restore possession of the trenches. The official VC citation specifically praised his "distinguished coolness and gallantry" during the action.

Less than three months later, on 18 June 1855, Gardiner again distinguished himself during the British assault on the Redan. The attack was met by devastating Russian fire and suffered severe casualties. Gardiner remained forward with other soldiers in shell holes near the enemy position and encouraged them to continue fighting. Using the bodies of fallen comrades as makeshift cover, they maintained their fire until their ammunition was exhausted. The official account recorded that the action took place under fire in which nearly half the officers and approximately one third of the rank and file of the regimental party were put out of action. Gardiner was promoted Colour-Sergeant on 19 June, the day after the assault.

His Victoria Cross was announced in The London Gazette of 4 June 1858, under a War Office notice dated 2 June. The citation recognised both his conduct during the Russian sortie of 22 March and his courage at the Redan on 18 June 1855.

The official citation reads:

"57th Regiment of Foot. Sergeant George Gardiner. Date of Acts of Bravery, 22nd March, and 18th June, 1855. For distinguished coolness and gallantry upon the occasion of a sortie by the enemy, and when he was acting as Orderly Serjeant to the Field-Officers of the trenches, Left Attack upon Sevastopol, in having rallied the covering parties which had been driven in by the Russians, thus regaining and keeping possession of the trenches. Also, for unflinching and devoted courage in the attack on the Redan, on the 18th June, 1855, in having remained, and encouraged others to remain in the holes made by the explosion of shells, from whence, by making parapets of the dead bodies of their comrades, they kept up a continuous fire until their ammunition was exhausted, and the enemy cleared away from the parapet."

Because the 57th was subsequently serving overseas, Gardiner did not receive his Cross in Britain. It was presented to him at Aden on 5 October 1858 by Brigadier-General William Marcus Coghlan while the regiment was on its way to India.

After twenty-one years with the 57th, Gardiner was discharged at Cork on 11 June 1861. The following day he joined the permanent staff of the Prince of Wales's Own Donegal Militia at Lifford as Sergeant-Major. He remained in that appointment until his discharge on 15 June 1876. This was his highest recorded rank, which is why Sergeant-Major is the most appropriate rank for a biography heading intended to show his final military status.

Gardiner's documented honours included the Victoria Cross, Distinguished Conduct Medal, Crimea Medal with clasps for Balaklava, Inkermann and Sebastopol, Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, and Turkish Crimea Medal. The Middlesex Regiment later recorded that his New Zealand Medal was missing when his other medals were purchased for the regimental collection and that the regiment hoped to obtain a replacement. That statement provides strong evidence that such a medal had been associated with Gardiner, although his individual entitlement should remain subject to confirmation from the surviving New Zealand Medal roll before being presented as definitively verified.

George Gardiner died at Lifford on 17 November 1891, aged about seventy, and was buried in Clonleigh Churchyard. His Victoria Cross and surviving medals are preserved in the collection associated with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.