William Henry Thomas Sylvester

William Henry Thomas Sylvester
Depiction of the Siege of Sebastopol
Born	16 April 1831 Devizes, Wiltshire
Died	13 March 1920 (aged 88) Paignton, Devon
Buried	Paignton Cemetery
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service / branch	British Army
Rank	Surgeon Major
Unit	23rd Regiment of Foot 25th Regiment of Foot
Battles / wars	Crimean War Indian Mutiny
Awards	Victoria Cross Légion d'honneur (France)

William Henry Thomas Sylvester VC (16 April 1831 – 13 March 1920) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Details

Sylvester was 24 years old, and an assistant surgeon in the 23rd Regiment of Foot (later The Royal Welch Fusiliers), British Army during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 8 September 1855, at Sebastopol, Crimea, near the Redan, Assistant Surgeon Sylvester went with a corporal (Robert Shields) to the aid of an officer who was mortally wounded and remained with him, dressing his wounds, in a most dangerous and exposed situation. Again, on 18 September this officer was at the front, under heavy fire, attending the wounded.

Further information

He later achieved the rank of surgeon major and was the last surviving VC holder of the Crimean War. He was reputed to have worked with Florence Nightingale.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Army Medical Services Museum, Mytchett, Surrey.

References

• Harvey, David (April 2000). Monuments to Courage. Naval & Military Press. ISBN 978-1-84342-356-0.
• Register of the Victoria Cross (3rd ed.). This England Books. 1997. p. 352. ISBN 0-906324-27-0.

External links

• Location of grave and VC medal (Devonshire)
• William Henry Thomas Sylvester at Find a Grave