Valentine McMaster | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1834-05-16)16 May 1834 |
| Died | 22 January 1872(1872-01-22) (aged 37) |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Years of service | 1855–1872 |
| Rank | Surgeon |
| Unit | 78th Highlanders 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons 18th Hussars |
| Battles / wars | Anglo-Persian War Indian Mutiny |
| Awards |  Victoria Cross |
SurgeonValentine Munbee McMasterVC (16 May 1834 – 22 January 1872) was a 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.
McMaster was born inTiruchirappalli in India and later graduated from theUniversity of Edinburgh Medical School[1] with anMD.[2]
He entered the army as an assistant surgeon in March 1855[3] and joined the78th Highlanders, serving in thePersian War in 1857, before returning with the regiment to India at the beginning of theIndian Mutiny. Here, the 78th joinedGeneral Havelock’s column that advanced to relieve thesiege of Lucknow.[4]
McMaster was a 23 years old assistant surgeon in the78th (Highlanders) Regiment of Foot (later TheSeaforth Highlanders) during theIndian Mutiny when the following deed took place on 25 September 1857, at thefirst relief of Lucknow for which he was awarded the VC:
For the intrepidity with which he exposed himself to the fire of the enemy, in bringing in, and attending to, the wounded, on the 25th of September, at Lucknow.(Extract from Field Force Orders of the late Major-General Havelock, dated 17 October 1857.)[5]
McMaster was presented with his cross by Lieutenant GeneralHenry Somerset in Bombay later that year.[1] McMaster was awarded one of the eight VCs to the 78th Regiment for the Indian Mutiny. None of the awards to the 78th Regiment and no awards to Medical Officers during the Indian Mutiny were recommended under the ballot method provided in Clause 13 of the Victoria Cross Warrant.[6]
In September 1860 McMaster transferred from the 78th Highlanders to be assistant surgeon of the6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons,[7] moving to the18th Hussars in June 1864.[8] Promoted to the rank of staff-surgeon in March 1868,[9] he returned to the 78th Highlanders in March 1869.[10] The same year, the 78th were posted toHalifax, Nova Scotia, where McMaster married Eleanor Burmester in June 1870. They had a daughter and son, one born after McMaster's death. In November 1871 the 78th moved to Belfast where, on 22 January 1872, McMaster died of heart disease aged 37. He was buried inBelfast City Cemetery.[1] There is a memorial to his memory inSt. Columb's Cathedral in Derry.
McMaster's widow Eleanor returned to Canada,[1] where she married Canadian surgeonCampbell Mellis Douglas, who had won the VC in the 1867Andaman Islands expedition.[11]
His Victoria Cross is displayed at theNational War Museum of Scotland inEdinburgh Castle.[1]
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