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John Berryman VC (18 July 1825 – 27 June 1896) was a British Army non-commissioned officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
Born in Dudley, England, the son of a pub landlord, he enlisted in the 17th Lancers in May 1848 and served with the regiment throughout the Crimean War.<ref name=VCGC>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Victoria Cross actionEdit
Berriman was a 29 years old Troop Sergeant-Major in the 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own) during the Crimean War when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 25 October 1854 at Balaclava, Crimea, (see Charge of the Light Brigade) Troop Sergeant-Major Berryman, whose horse had been shot under him, stopped on the field with a wounded officer amidst a storm of shot and shell. Two sergeants (John Farrell and Joseph Malone) came to his assistance and between them they carried the wounded officer out of range of the guns. On a previous occasion Berryman had captured three Russian prisoners.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref><ref>Brighton, Terry, Hell Riders: the Truth about the Charge of the Light Brigade. London: Penguin, 2005 Template:ISBN.</ref>
Berryman was invested with his VC by Queen Victoria in Hyde Park, London on 26 June 1857.<ref name=VCGC/>
Further careerEdit
After serving in the Indian Mutiny in 1858, Berryman was made Regimental sergeant major of the 17th lancers in 1860,<ref name=VCGC/> and commissioned as a lieutenant and quartermaster in 1864.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He was with the regiment during the Zulu War in 1879.<ref name=VCGC/> In May 1880 he transferred to the 5th lancers as quartermaster,<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> receiving promotion to honorary captain in July 1881.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> He retired with the rank of honorary major in July 1883.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref>
He died at Woldingham, Surrey in 1896 and is buried there in St Agatha's Churchyard.<ref name=VClocation>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
His VC is not publicly owned.<ref name=VClocation/>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
- Location of grave and VC medal (Surrey)