Gonville Bromhead Military person

Major Gonville Bromhead VC (29 August 1845 – 9 February 1891) was a British Army officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to members of the British armed forces. He received the medal for his part in the defence of Rorke's Drift in January 1879 where a small British garrison of 139 soldiers successfully repulsed an assault by some 4,000 Zulu warriors. Bromhead was portrayed by Michael Caine in the film Zulu, which depicted the battle.Born into a notable military family, Bromhead was raised in Thurlby, Lincolnshire. He entered the 24th Regiment of Foot as an ensign in 1867 and was promoted to lieutenant in 1871. Bromhead's battalion was deployed to southern Africa in 1878 and subsequently served in the Ninth Cape Frontier War and the Anglo-Zulu War. He spent most of the remainder of his career in South Asia, where he was promoted to major in 1883 and saw service in the Third Anglo-Burmese War. He died in 1891 in Allahabad, India, at the age of 45.

Personal facts

Gonville Bromhead
Birth dateAugust 29, 1845
Birth place
Versailles (city) , France
Date of deathFebruary 09, 1892
Place of death
Allahabad , Presidencies and provinces of British India

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Military person

allegianceUnited Kingdom
award
Victoria Cross
military operations
Xhosa Wars
Anglo-Zulu War
Battle of Rorke's Drift
Third Anglo-Burmese War
military branch
British Army
service start1871
service end1891

Gonville Bromhead on Wikipedia

External resources

  1. http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/vc/bromhead.htm