William Oxenham

Under heavy fire at Lucknow, Corporal William Oxenham spent ten exposed minutes trying to save a man trapped beneath the ruins of a collapsed verandah . Every moment left him vulnerable to enemy fire, yet he refused to abandon the rescue. That act of courage on 30 June 1857 earned him the Victoria Cross and secured his place among the outstanding British soldiers of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.

William Oxenham was born in Tiverton, Devon, in 1823 and joined the British Army as a young man. He served with the 32nd (Cornwall) Regiment of Foot , a regiment whose long posting in India would place him at the centre of some of the most important British military operations of the mid nineteenth century. The 32nd arrived in India in 1846 and remained there for thirteen years.

Oxenham first saw major active service during the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848 to 1849 . The 32nd fought at the siege and capture of Multan and later at the decisive Battle of Gujerat in February 1849. Oxenham's participation was recognised by the Punjab Medal with the clasps Mooltan and Goojerat . He subsequently served during operations on the North-West Frontier , including the period in which the regiment took part in the Black Mountain Expedition of 1852 to 1853. His service there brought entitlement to the India General Service Medal 1854 to 1895 with the North West Frontier clasp .

His defining moment came during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . On 30 June, at Lucknow, Mr Capper of the Bengal Civil Service was trapped beneath the wreckage of a verandah that had collapsed around him. With the position under heavy enemy fire, Oxenham went to Capper's aid. For approximately ten minutes he remained exposed while working to free the trapped civilian. He succeeded, turning what could easily have been a fatal moment for both men into one of the most memorable individual acts of gallantry associated with the defence of Lucknow.

For this action, Corporal William Oxenham was awarded the Victoria Cross , Britain's highest decoration for gallantry in the presence of the enemy. His award was announced in the London Gazette on 22 November 1859 , and Queen Victoria presented him with the Victoria Cross at Windsor on 4 January 1860 .

His official Victoria Cross citation recorded:

> “For distinguished gallantry in saving the life of Mr. Capper, of the Bengal Civil Service, by extricating him from the ruins of a verandah which had fallen on him; Corporal Oxenham being for 10 minutes exposed to a heavy fire while doing so. Date of act of bravery, 30th June, 1857.”

Oxenham's service during the rebellion was also recognised by the Indian Mutiny Medal with the Defence of Lucknow clasp . Together with his Victoria Cross, Punjab Medal with Mooltan and Goojerat clasps, India General Service Medal with North West Frontier clasp, and Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal , these awards preserve the story of a military career that stretched from the battlefields of the Second Anglo-Sikh War to the desperate defence of Lucknow.

The 32nd Regiment was converted to light infantry in 1858 in recognition of its service during the rebellion. It remained an independent regiment throughout Oxenham's lifetime. Only in 1881 was it amalgamated with the 46th (South Devonshire) Regiment to form the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry , with the former 32nd becoming its 1st Battalion.

After leaving the Army, Oxenham returned to Devon and settled in Exeter . He died there on 29 December 1875 and was buried in Higher Cemetery, Exeter . His Victoria Cross, together with his campaign and long-service medals, is preserved in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry collection at Bodmin, ensuring that the medals of the man who risked his life for another under fire at Lucknow remain connected with the regiment in which he served.

William Oxenham's Victoria Cross was earned not by leading a charge or capturing an enemy position, but by choosing to remain under fire while another man's life depended upon him. For ten minutes at Lucknow, he placed rescue before safety. More than a century and a half later, those ten minutes remain the defining testament to his courage.