Henry Tombs

He twice saved his wounded subaltern from attacking horsemen

Henry Tombs was born at sea on passage to India in 1824 into a military family and educated in Britain before joining the Bengal Artillery in 1841. His early campaigns included Gwalior in 1843, where he fought at Punniar, and both Anglo-Sikh wars. He served on artillery staffs as well as with horse artillery and received repeated mentions for his conduct in action.

By 1857 he commanded a troop of Bengal Horse Artillery. During the rising in northern India, his guns fought on the approach to Delhi and in the prolonged operations around the British camp on the ridge. The troop repeatedly came under attack, and Tombs himself had horses shot beneath him.

On 9 July, enemy cavalry broke into the camp near an exposed gun position commanded by Lieutenant James Hills. Hills had charged the horsemen to give his guns time to prepare but was brought down and left in immediate danger. Tombs saw an assailant about to kill him and shot the man with his revolver. When the two officers later encountered another swordsman, Hills suffered a severe head wound. Tombs again intervened, killing the attacker with his sword. Both officers received the Victoria Cross.

Tombs continued through the Delhi and Lucknow operations and later held senior artillery and district appointments. In 1865 he commanded a column in the Bhutan expedition, including the recovery of Dewangiri. Appointment as a Knight Commander of the Bath in 1868 recognised his wider military service.

He married Georgina Stirling in 1869. Promoted major general, he returned to India to command the Allahabad and then Oudh divisions. Serious illness interrupted that command in 1873. He travelled to Europe for treatment, underwent surgery and eventually settled on the Isle of Wight.

Tombs died at Newport on 2 August 1874 and was buried at Carisbrooke. His troop retained his name, perpetuating the connection between a long artillery career and the rescue of his young subordinate at Delhi.

Victoria Cross citation The London Gazette of 27 April 1858, Numb. 22131, p. 2050

For very gallant conduct on the part of Lieutenant Hills before Delhi, in defending the position assigned to him in case of alarm, and for noble behaviour on the part of Lieutenant-Colonel Tombs in twice coming to his subaltern’s rescue, and on each occasion killing his man. (See despatch of Lieutenant-Colonel Mackenzie, Commanding 1st Brigade Horse Artillery, dated Camp, near Delhi, 10th July, 1857, published in the Supplement to The London Gazette of the 16th January, 1858.)