Reginald Sartorius

Under heavy fire he carried a wounded man into safe shelter.

Captain Reginald William Sartorius rescued a mortally wounded Hausa noncommissioned officer during the attack on Abogoo on 17 January 1874. Serving with Captain John Glover's force in the Ashanti campaign, he lifted Sergeant-Major Braimah Doctor from exposed ground and carried him into cover. The deed earned the Victoria Cross.

Born in 1841, Sartorius was a son of Admiral Sir George Rose Sartorius. He entered the Indian Army in January 1858 and served during the Indian rebellion. His early career also included the Bhutan expedition of 1864-1865 before his later attachment to the West African force.

Queen Victoria presented his VC at a Windsor Park review on 30 March 1875. His Ashanti service also brought appointment as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, along with advancement in rank.

Afterwards he served on the Prince of Wales's staff during the royal visit to India and took part in the Afghan campaigns of 1878-1880. He became a colonel in 1886 and major general in 1895, retiring in 1897. A member of the Royal Yacht Squadron, Sartorius died at Cowes on 8 August 1907. He was buried at South Baddesley, Hampshire, near his parents.

Victoria Cross citation

For having during the attack on Abogoo, on the 17th January last, removed from under a heavy fire Serjeant-Major Braimah Doctor, a Housa Non-Commissioned Officer, who was mortally wounded, and placed him under cover.