Timothy O'Hea

Private Timothy O’Hea VC

Private Timothy O’Hea VC was born at Schull, County Cork, Ireland, in 1843 and served in the British Army with the 1st Battalion, Rifle Brigade, The Prince Consort’s Own. In 1866 his battalion was stationed in Canada during the emergency caused by the Fenian Raids, when British regulars and Canadian forces were mobilized to protect the colony from cross-border attack.

On 9 June 1866, O’Hea was part of an escort guarding a railway shipment of ammunition travelling between Quebec and Montreal. At Danville Station, on the Grand Trunk Railway in Canada East, a fire was discovered in a railway car containing ammunition. The car was quickly disconnected from the train, but the danger remained extreme: if the ammunition exploded, the result could have been catastrophic.

While the sergeant in charge considered what should be done, O’Hea seized the keys, ran to the burning car, opened it, and called for water and a ladder. He then fought the fire at great personal risk until it was brought under control. His prompt courage prevented a likely explosion and saved many lives.

For this action, O’Hea was awarded the Victoria Cross. The award was announced in The London Gazette on 1 January 1867, which recorded his “courageous conduct” during the fire in the ammunition car between Quebec and Montreal. His case is historically unique: Timothy O’Hea’s Victoria Cross is the only Victoria Cross awarded for an act of valour performed in Canada. It was also unusual because the act was not performed in the presence of the enemy, but under the early Victoria Cross rules then allowing recognition for exceptional courage in circumstances of extreme danger.

O’Hea later left the army. He is generally believed to have gone to New Zealand and then Australia, where he disappeared and is believed to have died in 1874 during an expedition in the Australian interior, although some later accounts have questioned the exact circumstances of his death. His Victoria Cross is preserved in England at the Rifles Museum, Winchester.

O’Hea is also a probable recipient of the Canada General Service Medal 1866–70 with the clasp Fenian Raid 1866, based on his qualifying service during the Fenian emergency. However, because the medal was not created until 1899 and normally required application, roll confirmation is recommended before treating the medal as fully confirmed. The Canada General Service Medal would have been made after his death