John Crimmin

He treated the wounded and fought back attackers under fire.

John Crimmin was born in Dublin on 19 March 1859 and qualified through the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He entered the Indian Medical Service in 1882 and became regimental surgeon to the 4th Bombay Native Infantry. He subsequently served with the Karen Field Force in Burma as a senior medical officer.

On 1 January 1889 near Ngakyaing in eastern Karenni, an officer and a small party charged into a large body of opposing troops. Two men were wounded. Crimmin went forward with the party and attended the casualties where they had fallen, despite the immediate danger.

When men attacked the wounded at close quarters, he intervened personally to protect them and continued his medical work. His Victoria Cross recognised both the treatment of casualties under fire and his defence of those unable to defend themselves. He was also mentioned in despatches for his service in the campaign.

The Duke of Connaught presented his cross in India in 1889. Crimmin then moved into a succession of military and civil medical appointments. He served as civil surgeon at Shikarpur and Ratnagiri and later became health officer for the port of Bombay, a post with important responsibilities for public health and shipping.

He married Julia Lennan in Dublin in October 1900. They had five children, including two sons who became officers in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Crimmin advanced to lieutenant-colonel and then colonel, held senior medical appointments in Bombay and on the north-west frontier, and was appointed honorary physician to the King in 1916.

He retired in March 1919 after service throughout the First World War period. His honours included the Companionships of the Bath and Indian Empire and the Volunteer Officers' Decoration. He died at Wells, Somerset, on 20 February 1945 and was buried in the city cemetery.

Official Victoria Cross citation

Lieutenant Tighe, 27th Bombay Infantry (to the Mounted Infantry of which Corps Surgeon Crimmin was attached) states that in the action near Lwekaw, Eastern Karenni, on the 1st January last, four men charged with him into the midst of a large body of the enemy who were moving off from the Karen left flank, and two men fell to the ground wounded. He saw Surgeon Crimmin attending one of the men about 200 yards to the rear. Karens were round the party in every direction, and he saw several fire at Surgeon Crimmin and the wounded man. A Sepoy then galloped up to Surgeon Crimmin, and the latter joined the fighting line which then came up. Lieutenant Tighe further states that very shortly afterwards they were engaged in driving the enemy from small clumps of trees and bamboo, in which the Karens took shelter. Near one of these clumps he saw Surgeon Crimmin attending a wounded man. Several Karens rushed out at him. Surgeon Crimmin thrust his sword through one of them and attacked a second, a third Karen then dropped from the fire of a Sepoy, upon which the remaining Karens fled.

The London Gazette of 17 September 1889, Numb. 25975, p. 4989.