Sir Owen Lloyd | |
|---|---|
.png) Lloyd, c. 1904 | |
| Birth name | Owen Edward Pennefather Lloyd |
| Born | (1854-01-01)1 January 1854 County Roscommon, Ireland |
| Died | 5 July 1941(1941-07-05) (aged 87) St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, England |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | British Army |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Unit | Royal Army Medical Corps |
| Battles / wars | Kachin Hills Expedition |
| Awards | |
Sir Owen Edward Pennefather LloydVC KCB (1 January 1854 – 5 July 1941) was an Irish recipient of theVictoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded toBritish andCommonwealth forces.
Lloyd was born inCounty Roscommon and educated at Fermoy College and Queen's University, Cork (nowUniversity College Cork).[1] He joined the British Army Medical Service, later theRoyal Army Medical Corps (RAMC), in 1878. He was in theZulu War in 1879 and theTransvaal War of 1881–82 before being sent, with the rank of Surgeon-Major, to join theKachin Hills Expedition inBurma (now Myanmar). There on 6 January 1893 the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
During the attack on the Sima Post by Kachins, on the 6th January last, Surgeon-Major Lloyd on hearing that the Commanding Officer, Captain Morton (who had left the fort to visit a picket about 80 yards distant) was wounded, at once ran out to his assistance under a close and heavy fire, accompanied by Subadar Matab Singh.
On reaching the wounded Officer, Surgeon-Major Lloyd sent Subadar Matab Singh back for further assistance, and remained with Captain Morton till the Subadar returned with five men of the Magwe Battalion of Military Police, when he assisted in carrying Captain Morton back to the fort, where that Officer died a few minutes afterwards.
The enemy were within ten or fifteen paces keeping up a heavy fire which killed three men of the picket, and also Bugler Purna Singh. This man accompanied Captain Morton from the fort, showed great gallantry in supporting him in his arms when wounded, and was shot while helping to carry him back to the fort.
(The Native Officer and five sepoys above alluded to have been awarded the Order of Merit.)[2]
Lloyd took command of the fort after death of Captain Morton. In 1894–95 he was medical officer to the Franco-British boundary commission on the Mekong River that decided the Thai-Lao border after theFranco-Siamese conflict, and in 1898–99 he was medical officer to British-Chinese boundary commission on the Burma frontier. Later he was Principal Medical Officer in India and then in South Africa, served inWorld War I (mentioned in despatches), and was Colonel Commandant of the RAMC 1922–24 with the rank of major-general.
Lloyd was appointedCB in the1910 Birthday Honours[3] and was knighted KCB in the1923 Birthday Honours.[4] He died atSt Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, on 5 July 1941.[1]
Lloyd's Victoria Cross is displayed at theArmy Medical Services Museum (Aldershot, England).
