William Gardner (VC)

William Gardner was born on 3 March 1821 at Nemphlar in Lanarkshire, Scotland. He enlisted in the British Army on 9 February 1841, entering service with the 42nd Regiment of Foot—the Royal Highland Regiment, widely known as The Black Watch. His early military career involved steady advancement through the non-commissioned grades, reaching the rank of corporal in March 1842 and sergeant two months later.

When the Crimean War broke out, the 42nd Foot deployed to the East as part of Sir Colin Campbell’s Highland Brigade. Gardner served across the campaign, participating in the initial British ascent at the Battle of the Alma before the regiment entered the siegeworks surrounding Sevastopol. Throughout eighteen months of trench operations under constant artillery bombardment and winter hardship, he demonstrated consistent reliability in forward positions. On 25 July 1855, he was promoted to Colour Sergeant, and his sustained meritorious service during the siege was formally recognized with the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Following the Treaty of Paris, the 42nd Foot returned briefly to Great Britain before being dispatched to India to reinforce forces quelling the Indian Mutiny. The regiment saw extensive field service, participating in operations around Cawnpore and taking a direct role in the siege and final capture of Lucknow in March 1858. After Lucknow fell, the unit joined the mobile columns assigned to clear remaining insurgent forces in Rohilkhand.

On 5 May 1858, British forces under Sir Colin Campbell approached Bareilly from the south and engaged the rebel army under Khan Bahadur Khan. Positioned near a nullah outside the city, the 42nd Foot faced a sudden and furious hand-to-hand assault by Ghazi fighters who had broken through forward positions held by the 4th Punjab Rifles. During the chaotic close-quarters combat, Lieutenant-Colonel Duncan Cameron, commanding officer of the 42nd Foot, was thrown from his horse and pinned on the ground. Three armed Ghazis rushed forward to finish the unhorsed commander.

Colour Sergeant Gardner broke from the rank and file and charged toward his commander. Reaching the fallen officer, he bayoneted two attackers in swift succession. As he attempted to engage the third, a musket shot fired by another soldier of his own regiment in the confusion struck Gardner in the hand, knocking him down. Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron survived the encounter, and Captain Macpherson of the 42nd Foot documented Gardner’s actions in a formal report to the commanding officer.

The citation for the award of the Victoria Cross was published in The London Gazette on 24 August 1858:

"For his conspicuous and gallant conduct on the morning of the 5th of May last, in having saved the life of Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron, his Commanding Officer, who during the Action at Bareilly on that day, had been knocked from his horse, when three Fanatics rushed upon him. Colour-Serjeant Gardner ran out, and in a moment bayonetted two of them, and was in the act of attacking the third, when he was shot down by another soldier of the Regiment."

Gardner was invested with the Victoria Cross in India in February 1859. Promoted to Quartermaster Sergeant in December 1859, he ultimately attained the rank of Sergeant-Major. He took his final discharge at Stirling Castle on 4 March 1862 after twenty-one years of military service.

Returning to Lanarkshire, Gardner took up employment as a drill instructor with the local volunteer movement in Bothwell. He died at Anchorage Lodge in Bothwell on 24 October 1897, at seventy-six years of age, and was buried with full military honours in Bothwell Park Cemetery. In 2008, his medal group was sold by his great-grandson, Dr David Gardner, to raise funds for Scottish ex-servicemen's charities and educational grants. The Victoria Cross was purchased for the Lord Ashcroft Collection and is held on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum in London.