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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
|name=Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast
|birth_date=15 October 1834
|death_date=24 July 1913 (aged 78)
|birth_place=[[Madras]], [[Company Raj|India]]
|death_place=[[Richmond-upon-Thames]], [[Surrey]]
|placeofburial=[[Richmond Cemetery]]
|image= VCHarryNorthDalrymplePrendergast.jpg
|caption=Prendergast in 1886
|nickname=
|allegiance= {{flag|United Kingdom}}
|serviceyears=1845–1881
|rank=[[General (United Kingdom)|General]]
|branch= [[Madras Army]] {{army|United Kingdom}} {{army|British India|23px}}
|commands=
|unit=Madras Engineers [[Royal Engineers]]
|battles=[[Anglo-Persian War]] [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]] [[Abyssinian War]]
|awards= [[Victoria Cross]] [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
|laterwork=
|relations=
}}
[[General (United Kingdom)|General]] '''Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|sep=,|VC|GCB}} (15 October 1834 – 24 July 1913) 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 [[United Kingdom|British]] and, in imperial times, [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces.
He was also the man who insisted that French play vital role in the Irish Education System for the purpose of strengthening Britain’s claim of British supremacy in Ireland.

==Early life==
Prendergast was the son of [[Thomas Prendergast|Thomas]] and Caroline Lucy (née Dalrymple),<ref name="The Life of General Sir Harry N. D. Prendergast">{{cite book|last1=Vibart|first1=Henry Meredith|title=The Life of General Sir Harry N. D. Prendergast: R. E., V. C., G. C. B. (The Happy Warrior)|date=1914|publisher=Eveleigh Nash|location=London, England|page=29|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-HpCAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA438}}</ref> He was educated at [[Cheam School]] and then [[Brighton College]], and, in later years, he was President of their [[old boys]]' association. He was also educated at [[Addiscombe Military Seminary]].<ref>Philip A. Wilkins, ''The History of the Victoria Cross: Being an account of the 520 acts of bravery for which the decoration has been awarded and portraits of 392 recipients'', Andrews UK Limited, 2012, {{ISBN|1781516731}}, 9781781516737</ref>

==Details==
Prendergast was 23 years old and a [[lieutenant]] in the [[Madras Sappers]], [[Madras Army]] during the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC:
{{quote|For conspicuous bravery on the 21st of November, 1857, at Mundisore, in saving the life of Lieutenant G. Dew, 14th Light Dragoons, at the risk of his own, by attempting to cut down a valaitee, who covered him (Lieutenant Dew) with his piece, from only a few paces to the rear. Lieutenant Prendergast was wounded in this affair by the discharge of the piece, and would probably have, been cut down, had not the rebel been killed by Major Orr. He also distinguished himself by his gallantry in the actions at Ratgurh and Betwa, when he was severely wounded. Major-General Sir Hugh Rose, in forwarding his recommendation of this Officer, states:

"Lieutenant Prendergast, Madras Engineers, was specially mentioned by Brigadier, now Sir Charles Stuart, for the gallant act at
Mundisore, when he was severely wounded; secondly, he was specially mentioned by me when acting voluntarily as my Aide-de-Camp in the Action before besieging Ragurh, on the Beena river, for gallant conduct. His horse was killed on that occasion. Thirdly, at the action of 'the Betwa', he again voluntarily acted as my Aide-de-Camp, and distinguished himself by his bravery in the charge, which I made with Captain Need's Troop, Her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons, against the left of the so-called Peishwa's Army, under Tantia Topee. He was severely.wounded on that occasion."<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=22318|page=3793|date=21 October 1859}}</ref>}}

He received his VC from [[Queen Victoria]] at the Quadrangle of [[Windsor Castle]] on 4 January 1860 along with twenty-four other recipients of the decoration.

==Further information==
Prendergast served in the Persian War (1857), Central India Defence Force (1858), in the Abyssinian War (1867–68), in the Mediterranean (1878), before going to Burma.

His last field command was to lead the Burma Field Force in 1885–86 at the start the [[Third Anglo-Burmese War]]. In 1908 he was appointed Colonel-Commandant of the Royal Engineers.<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28199/pages/8700 London Gazette]</ref>

Prendergast was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Bath]] (GCB) in the [[1902 Coronation Honours]] list published on 26 June 1902,<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=The Coronation Honours |day_of_week=Thursday |date=26 June 1902 |page_number=5 |issue=36804| }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=27448 |supp=y |date=26 July 1902 |pages=4189–4190}}</ref> and was invested by King [[Edward VII]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] on 8 August 1902.<ref>{{Cite newspaper The Times |articlename=Court Circular |day_of_week=Saturday |date=9 August 1902 |page_number=6 |issue=36842| }}</ref>

His recreations were listed as "boxing, fencing, sword-play, running, cricket, football, hunting and polo".<ref>{{cite book | first=Adam and Charles | last=Black | year=1920 | title=Who Was Who, Vol.1, 1897–1915}}</ref>

He died at Heron Court, [[Richmond, London|Richmond]], Surrey, now in London, on 24 July 1913 and is buried in [[Richmond Cemetery]].<ref name="Burial">{{cite web | url=http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/leisure_and_culture/local_history_and_heritage/victoria_cross_holders_buried_in_the_borough/general_sir_harry_north_dalrymple_prendergast.htm | title=General Sir Harry North Dalrymple Prendergast | publisher=[[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]] | work=Victoria Cross holders buried in the borough | date=3 August 2009 | access-date=4 November 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104062010/http://www.richmond.gov.uk/home/services/leisure_and_culture/local_history_and_heritage/victoria_cross_holders_buried_in_the_borough/general_sir_harry_north_dalrymple_prendergast.htm | archive-date=4 November 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

There is a bronze memorial tablet to him in Brighton College Chapel, but his sword that used to hang above it was stolen.

==The medal==
In the 1980s the medal, on loan from the Prendergast family to the [[National Army Museum]] was suggested to be a copy.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=The Prendergast VC|url=https://www.prendergastvc.org/|access-date=2021-01-01|website=The Prendergast VC|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Steafel|first=Eleanor|date=2017-10-28|title=The Victoria Cross mystery: museum accused of failing to properly investigate missing medal|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/28/victoria-cross-mystery-museum-accused-failing-properly-investigate/|access-date=2021-01-01|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> However, a subsequent 2020 study of its metal composition demonstrated it was an unusually close match to other Victoria Crosses, and in particular those dated to the same year, suggesting it was in fact genuine.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Marriott|first1=Andrew|last2=Prendergast|first2=James G. D.|date=2020-11-19|title=Investigating the origin and authenticity of Victoria Cross medals using X-ray fluorescence spectrometry|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=10|issue=1|pages=19953|doi=10.1038/s41598-020-76783-y|pmid=33214626|pmc=7678865|issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref> The medal is currently displayed at the [[Royal Engineers Museum]] in [[Chatham, England]].{{citation needed|date=October 2017}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*Colonel H M Vibart, The Life of General Sir Harry N D Prendergast, RE, VC, GCB (The Happy Warrior). (Eveleigh Nash, London, 1914)
* Martin D W Jones, 'The War of Lost Footsteps. A Re-assessment of the Third Burmese War 1885–1896.', The Bulletin of the Military Historical Society, xxxx no. 157 (August 1989), pp. 36–40
*[[The Register of the Victoria Cross]] (This England, 1997)
*[[The Sapper VCs]] (Gerald Napier, 1998)
*[[Monuments to Courage]] (David Harvey, 1999)

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061218200907/http://www.remuseum.org.uk/rem_his_vc.htm#1p Royal Engineers Museum] Sappers VCs
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041204085907/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/surrey.htm Location of grave and VC medal] ''(Surrey)''

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{{succession box | title=[[List of Chief Commissioners of Balochistan|Chief Commissioner of Balochistan]] (acting) | before=[[Robert Groves Sandeman|Sir Robert Sanderman]] | after=[[Robert Groves Sandeman|Sir Robert Sanderman]] | years=1889}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Prendergast, Harry}}
[[Category:1834 births]]
[[Category:1913 deaths]]
[[Category:British Army generals]]
[[Category:British East India Company Army officers]]
[[Category:British Indian Army generals]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Abyssinian War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Anglo-Persian War]]
[[Category:British military personnel of the Third Anglo-Burmese War]]
[[Category:British recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Indian Rebellion of 1857 recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:People educated at Brighton College]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Chennai]]
[[Category:Royal Engineers officers]]
[[Category:Alumni of Addiscombe Military Seminary]]
[[Category:Burials at Richmond Cemetery]]

Harry Prendergast - Revision history

Bot at 01:33, 3 April 2022

>Dicklyon: downcase Action of (via WP:JWB)