George Henry Ingouville
George Henry Ingouville
George Henry Ingouville wearing his Victoria Cross
George Henry Ingouville, VC, CGM (7 October 1826 - 13 January 1869) was one of the first recipients of the Victoria Cross
George Ingouville was born in St Saviour. He was 28 years old, and a Captain of the Mast in the Royal Navy during the Crimean War. On 13 July 1855 at the Fort of Viborg in the Gulf of Finland, while the boats of HMS Arrogant were engaged with the enemy, her second cutter was swamped by the blowing up of her magazine and drifted inshore under enemy guns.
Ingouville, although wounded, jumped overboard, swam round to the boat's bows, took hold of the painter and tried to turn the cutter out to sea. A lieutenant of the Royal Marine Artillery, George Dare Dowell, came to his assistance, when with three volunteers, he took off the crew from the cutter, rescued Ingouville from the water and then towed the stricken boat out of gun range.
While serving in the Royal Navy, George married Mary Anne Le Rossignol, the daughter of Captain Matthew Le Rossignol, on 4 April 1861 in Brighton. The couple did not have any children.
Ingouville continued to serve in the Royal Navy until he finished his career in August 1863. He died at sea on 13 January 1869 when he was aged 41, but the circumstances around his death remain a mystery. There are no records to suggest that he was buried at sea and no burial records exist.
There is a suggestion that his body washed ashore at Hyeres in Southern France, but this claim has never been substantiated.
The medal
Ingouville's VC can be seen in the Maritime Museum on the New North Quay in St Helier. It is one of five Victoria Cross medals in the care of Jersey Heritage.
Instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856, the Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour to members of the armed forces.
Over 1,300 VCs have been awarded, only 16 since 1956. George Ingouville was the first Jerseyman to receive a Victoria Cross.
He was one of only five to receive the award for valour in the Baltic campaign. He was also awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal, the Crimean Medal, the Baltic Medal and the Turkish Medal for his actions in the Crimea.
The Victoria Cross was presented to him by Queen Victoria at the first investiture at Hyde Park on 26 June 1857. He was one of 62 men to receive the Victoria Cross at this time.
The artist George Housman Thomas painted the scene at Hyde Park, which depicts Queen Victoria presenting Ingouville with his award. He is the only Victoria Cross recipient to have been visually recorded receiving the cross from Queen Victoria.
Ingouville’s Victoria Cross came up for sale at Spink and Son auction house in the 1970s and was purchased by Jersey’s Public Works Committee.
What is interesting about this medal is that it has a crimson ribbon, when naval recipients should bear a blue ribbon. It is possible that Ingouville was handed the wrong one at the presentation.
Further article
- George Henry Ingouville VC, an article from the Annual Bulletin of La Société Jersiaise
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