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VC32   John Byrne

BORN  September 1832

DIED   10 July 1879  AGE   46

VC Won  5 November 1854  AGE 22

Place VC Won  Inkerman & Sebastopol, Crimea

War/Campaign  Crimean War

Name   John Byrne   No.   2832          

VC Issue No.   32   Awards   VC   DCM

Regiment   68th Regiment

Later   Durham Light Infantry

Now   3rd and 5th Battalions The Rifles

Rank VC Won   Private

Rank End Of Career   Colour-Sergeant

Place Of Birth   Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland

Place Of Death   7 Crown Street, Mandee, Caerlon, Monmouthshire, Wales

Buried/Location Ashes  St Woolos Cemetery, Bassaleg Road, Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales

Cremated

Date Buried/Cremated   12 July 1879

Headstone   Headstone   Plot/Grave no.   RC Section, Block 14, E15

Gazetted   24 February 1857

VC Presented   22 July 1857, GOC Ionian, Major-General Sir George Butler, Corfu

Memorials

P  Headstone, St Woolos Cemetery, Bassaleg Road, Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales (Headstone erected 04 November 1985)

P  Named on For Valour Stone, Durham Light Infantry Museum, Durham

By The Way…

Whilst working for Ordnance Survey he got into an argument with a man who insulted the VC. Later, police were called and he pulled out his revolver and put it to his mouth and fired. Inquest recorded "Suicide whilst of unsound mind"

Believed to have died 6 December 1872 until discovery of events of 10 July 1879

VC Held By

No VC, his only remaining medal is at the Durham Light Infantry Museum, Durham

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November 54; when the regiment was given the order to retire, he went back under heavy fire and brought back a wounded comrade. May 55; he fought and killed the enemy in hand to hand combat thus saving his position.