Samuel Wassall
Private, 80th Regiment
- Register No.
- 1277 (Alf's numbering, from The Register of the Victoria Cross, 1997)
- Rank
- Private all Privates →
- Unit
- 80th Regiment (register: 80th Regiment of Foot) all 80th Regiment of Foot VCs →
- Date of action
- 22 January 1879 on this day → all of 1879 →
- Conflict / campaign
- Zulu War (Anglo-Zulu War)
- London Gazette
- 17th June 1879 on this day → all of 1879 →
- Died
- 31st January 1927 at Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire
- Memorial / grave
- at Barrow-in-Furness Cemetery, Lancs., and in the garrison church, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire
- Medal held by
- the Staffordshire Regimental Museum, Whittington
From Alf Askin's research notes
Reproduced as Alf wrote it, c. 2000–2005. Spelling and abbreviations are his own.
WASSALL, Samuel. (reg No. 1277).
Private. 80th Regiment. * London Gazetted on 17th June 1879.
VC Medal's Custodian is the Staffordshire Regimental Museum, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire. Born on 28th July 1856 at Aston, Warwickshire.
Died on 31st January 1927 at Barrow-in-Furness, Lancashire.
Memorials on grave at Barrow-in-Furness Cemetery, Lancs., and in the garrison church, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire. (A New Headstone was erected on the grave in 1986).
Digest of Citation reads: On 22nd January 1879, Private Samuel Wassall, without concern for his own life, which was in imminent danger, rescued Private Westwood, a comrade of the 80th Regiment. The British and Native encampment at Isandhlwana, came under attack from 20,000 of King Cetswayo's Zulus. Private Wassall was retreating towards the Buffalo River, when he saw Private Westwood struggling, apparently drowning, in the river. Leaving his horse on the Zulu side of the river, he rescued his comrade from the fast-flowing water. Remounting his horse, he dragged Private Westwood across the river to safety under a hail of bullets from the Zulus.
* South Staffordshire Regiment.
Alf's notes on his life
(A New Headstone was erected on the grave in 1986). Digest of Citation reads: On 22nd January 1879, Private Samuel Wassall, without concern for his own life, which was in imminent danger, rescued Private Westwood, a comrade of the 80th Regiment. The British and Native encampment at Isandhlwana, came under attack from 20,000 of King Cetswayo's Zulus. Private Wassall was retreating towards the Buffalo River, when he saw Private Westwood struggling, apparently drowning, in the river. Leaving his horse on the Zulu side of the river, he rescued his comrade from the fast-flowing water. Remounting his horse, he dragged Private Westwood across the river to safety under a hail of bullets from the Zulus.
* South Staffordshire Regiment.
Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire. Born on 28th July 1856 at
Aston, Warwickshire.
Visit the grave or memorial
Alf recorded the memorial as: at Barrow-in-Furness Cemetery, Lancs., and in the garrison church, Whittington Barracks, Lichfield, Staffordshire
Map links open a search for the place name Alf recorded; please check opening times and exact locations before travelling. Many VC graves have since been restored by the Victoria Cross Trust.
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