70 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
Secretary Major General Peelentirely concurs with H.R.H. in
opinion that the heroism displayed by the officers and men of the 54th
Regiment on the 11th November last, on their passage to India on-board
the ‘Sarah Sands’ transport, on the occasion of that vessel taking fire at sea,
is deserving of being rewarded by the bestowal of the Victoria Cross on
those who have displayed qualities of so Honourable on nature; and Major
General Peel accordingly proposes to submit for Her Majesty’s gracious
consideration, whether it would be desirable to extend the provisions of
Her Majesty’s Royal Warrant instituting that decoration, so as to include
cases of conspicuous courage and bravery of this nature displayed by
officers and men of the Army and Navy, under circumstances of extreme
danger, such as the occurrence of a fire on-board ship, or the foundering
of a vessel at sea, or under other circumstances in which, through the
courage and devotion displayed, life and public property may be saved.^92
Major General Peel lost no time in submitting the proposal to Her Majesty,
actually dispatching the letter to the Queen before replying to the Duke’s
letter.^93
With the possibility of some of his soldiers being eligible for the Victoria
Cross, the lieutenant colonel in charge of the 54th in transit, W. F. Brett,
approached his commanding officer, Colonel Charles Mitchell, as to the
possibility of submitting some recommendations for the Cross on behalf
of his men.^94 Mitchell requested further information from Brett and at the
same time inquired as to the possibility of Horse Guards entertaining such
recommendations. Upon gaining the assent of the Duke of Cambridge,
Mitchell forwarded Brett’s recommendations of 25 men and added his own
personal recommendation of Walsh.^95
The powers-that-were agreed that the 54th had exhibited extreme courage
in the face of almost certain death aboard theSarah Sands. The new warrant
was issued 10 August 1858, and in the process, the men who inspired it
were denied recognition by the literal interpretation of the wording:
By a Warrant under Her Royal Sign Manual August 10, 1858, Her
Majesty was pleased to direct that the Victoria Cross should be conferred
subject to the rules and ordinances already made on officers and men
of Her Majesty’s Naval and Military Services who may perform acts of
conspicuous courage and bravery under circumstances of extreme danger,
such as the occurrence of a fire on board a ship, or the foundering of
a vessel at sea, or under any other circumstances in which, through the
courage and devotion displayed, life or public property might be saved.^96
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