Henry Hook (VC)
Alfred Henry Hook | |
---|---|
Born | Churcham, Gloucestershire | 6 August 1850
Died | 12 March 1905 Gloucester, Gloucestershire | (aged 54)
Buried | St Andrew's churchyard, Churcham 51°51′42.2″N 2°20′15.1″W / 51.861722°N 2.337528°W |
Allegiance | United Kingdom/British Empire |
Service/ | British Army |
Years of service | 1877–1904 |
Rank | Sergeant |
Unit |
|
Battles/wars |
|
Awards | Victoria Cross |
Alfred Henry "Harry" Hook VC (6 August 1850 – 12 March 1905) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for valour in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces, for his actions at the Battle of Rorke's Drift.
Background
Born in Churcham, Gloucestershire, Hook originally served in the Monmouth Militia for five years before enlisting in the regular army in March 1877, aged 26. Previously serving in the 9th Xhosa War in 1877, he received a scalp injury during the battle of Rorke's Drift, and discharged (by purchase) from the regular army 17 months later on 25 June 1880. [1]
The 1881 census shows Henry Hook V.C. as a servant in the household of George Owen Willis, a doctor in Monmouth, Monmouthshire.[2]
He later served 20 years in
Rorke's Drift
Alfred Henry Hook was 28 years old, and a
On 22/23 January 1879 at
The medal
He received his VC from Sir Garnet Wolseley, GOC South Africa at Rorke's Drift on 3 August 1879. His Victoria Cross is displayed at the South Wales Borderers Museum, Brecon, Powys, Wales.
In popular culture
A poem describing Hook's part in the battle of Rorke's Drift was written by William McGonagall in 1899.[5]
In the film
Hook can also be seen in a background scene in the Alan Moore-penned comic-series The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, vol.I, issue 6.
Related detail
In his autobiography, punk singer Mark E. Smith claimed that Hook was an ancestor of his father, which led to the Smith family being invited as guests of honour to the Whitefield showing of Zulu.[9]
References
- ^ "Fold3 Records". Retrieved 15 April 2024 – via Fold3® by Ancestry.
Search on "Hook 1373" within UK, Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Admission and Discharge Records
- ^ "1881 Wales Census". Retrieved 15 April 2024 – via Ancestry.
Search where surname equals "Hook" and birth place equals "Churcham, Gloucestershire"
- ^ The Story of the British Museum by Marjorie Caygill, British Museum Press, 2nd edition 1992, p44
- ^ "No. 24717". The London Gazette. 2 May 1879. p. 3178.
- ^ McGonagall, William (1899). "The Hero of Rorkes Drift". McGonagall Online.
- ISBN 978-0-670-91474-6
- ISBN 978-1-78239-647-5.
- ^ "Reel history | Zulu: Michael Caine loses the plot, but wins the battle". the Guardian. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-670-91674-0
External links
- Pte. Henry (Harry) Hook (biography, photos, memorial details)
- Location of grave and VC medal (Gloucestershire)
- Rorke's Drift (information within Frederick Hitch site)