John Bythesea

Rear-Admiral John Bythesea was an officer of the Royal Navy and one of the earliest English recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

He earned the Victoria Cross during the Crimean War for his actions on August 9, 1854, in the Baltic. Accompanied by a Swedish-speaking crewman, Stoker William Johnstone, Bythesea landed on the island of Vårdö, Åland off Finland, to intercept important Russian despatches. After laying in wait for three days, the duo successfully ambushed five Russian soldiers, took three of them prisoner, and seized the mailbags, forcing the prisoners to row them back to their ship, HMS Arrogant.

He was personally presented with his Victoria Cross by Queen Victoria at the first-ever VC investiture held at Hyde Park, London, on June 26, 1857. In 1872, his naval career was severely impacted when he ran his battleship HMS Lord Clyde aground at Pantellaria, resulting in his dismissal from his ship and the end of his employment at sea.