Patrick McHale

Patrick McHale
Patrick McHale
Born	1826; Killala, County Mayo
Died	26 October 1866 (aged 39-40); Shorncliffe, Kent
Buried	Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, Kent
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Private
Unit	5th Regiment of Foot
Battles/wars	Indian Mutiny
Awards	Victoria Cross

Patrick McHale VC (Irish: Pádraig Mac Céile; 1826 – 26 October 1866) was born in Killala, County Mayo and was an Irish 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

He was approximately 31 years old, and a private in the 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment of Foot (later The Northumberland Fusiliers) British Army, during the Siege of Lucknow and Second Battle of Cawnpore, turning points in the Indian Mutiny, when the following deeds took place for which he was awarded the VC:

1st Battalion, 5th Regiment Private Patrick M'Hale
Date of Acts of Bravery, 2nd October and 22nd December, 1857.
For conspicuous bravery at Lucknow on the 2nd October, 1857, when he was the first man at the capture of one of the guns at the Cawnpore Battery,—and again, on the 22 December 1857, when, by a bold rush, he was the first to take possession of one of the enemy's guns, which had sent several rounds of grape through his company, which was skirmishing up to it.
On every occasion of attack, Private M'Hale has been the first to meet the foe, amongst whom he caused such consternation by the boldness of his rush, as to leave little work for those who followed to his support. By his habitual coolness and daring, and sustained bravery in action, his name has become a household word for gallantry among his comrades.

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Further information

He died at Shorncliff, Kent on 26 October 1866 and was buried at Shorncliffe Military Cemetery, near Folkestone, Kent, England. Section I – Upper Right. Headstone.

The medal

His Victoria Cross is displayed in the Fusiliers Museum of Northumberland at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, England.

References

^ "No. 22396". The London Gazette. 19 June 1860. p. 2316.

Listed in order of publication year

The Register of the Victoria Cross (1981, 1988 and 1997)
Clarke, Brian D. H. (1986). "A register of awards to Irish-born officers and men". The Irish Sword. XVI (64): 185–287.
Ireland's VCs ISBN 1-899243-00-3 (Dept of Economic Development, 1995)
Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)