Ferdinand Le Quesne

Ferdinand Simeon Le Quesne
Born	25 December 1863 St Helier, Jersey
Died	14 April 1950 Bristol, Gloucestershire
Buried at	Canford Cemetery, Bristol
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	British Army
Rank	Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit	Royal Army Medical Corps
Battles/wars	Second Boer War World War I
Awards	Victoria Cross

Lieutenant-Colonel Ferdinand Simeon Le Quesne VC (25 December 1863 – 14 April 1950) was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.

Details

He was educated at King's College London before he joined the British Army. After the Third Anglo-Burmese War, local leaders started a guerilla war against the British forces who now occupied the country. Le Quesne's action was during this period. He was 25 years old, and a surgeon in the Army Medical Service (later the Royal Army Medical Corps) serving with the Chin Field Force in Burma when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 4 May 1889 during the attack on the village of Tartan^[1] (now Siallum near Voklaak Village), Burma (now Myanmar) by a column of the Chin Field Force, Surgeon Le Quesne remained for the space of about ten minutes within five yards of the loopholed stockade, from which the enemy was firing, dressing with perfect coolness and self-possession, the wounds of an officer who shortly afterwards died. Surgeon Le Quesne was himself severely wounded later while attending to the wounds of another officer.^[2]

Further information

Le Quesne later served in the Second Boer War and World War I. He retired in 1918 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.^[3]

The medal

His VC is held at the Jersey Museum in St Helier.

References

1. PH Starling (March 2009). "The Medical Victoria Crosses" (PDF). RAMC Journal.
2. The London Gazette: no. 25988. p. 5721. 29 October 1889.
3. British Medical Journal obituary

• Location of grave and VC medal (Avon)